A nurse is preparing to administer cephalexin 500 mg PO every 6 hr to an antepartum client who has a urinary tract infection. Available is cephalexin 250 mg tablets. How many tablets should the nursing staff administer in a 24-hr period? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)

Determine the number of doses per day: The medication is administered every 6 hours. 24 hours / 6 hours/dose = 4 doses per day Determine the number of tablets per dose: Number of tablets = Ordered dose/ Available dose Given: The prescribed dose is 500 mg. The available tablets are 250 mg each. 500 mg / 250 mg/tablet = 2 tablets per dose Calculate the total number of tablets per day: 2 tablets/dose × 4 doses/day = 8 tablets/day Therefore, the nurse should administer 8 tablets in 24 hours.