An order of Rocephin 500 mg IV q 12 h has been ordered for a child who weighs 33 pounds. According to the drug guide, the safe dose for this medication is 75 mg/kg/day divided into q 12 h doses. What is the safe dosage (of a single dose) of this med for this patien?

To calculate the safe dosage for the patient, first convert the weight from pounds to kilograms, knowing that 1 kilogram equals 2.2 pounds. The child weighs 33 pounds, which is approximately 15 kilograms (33 / 2.2). According to the drug guide, the safe dosage is 75 mg/kg/day. For a child weighing 15 kg, the total safe daily dosage would be 1125 mg (15 kg * 75 mg/kg). Since the medication is to be divided into two doses per day (every 12 hours), the safe single dose would be half of the daily dosage, which is 562.5 mg.