The licensed physician orders amoxicillin 500 mg by mouth every 6 hours for a child weighing 44 lbs. Amoxicillin is supplied in 250 mg capsules. The recommended daily oral dosage is 25-50 mg/kg/24 h in divided doses every 6 hours. What is the safe dose and single dose range for this child?

Step 1 is: Convert the child's weight from pounds (lbs) to kilograms (kg). 44 lbs÷ 2.2 kg/lb = 20 kg. Step 2 is: Calculate the minimum safe daily dose for the child by multiplying the minimum recommended dose (25 mg/kg/24 h) by the child's weight in kg. 25 mg/kg/24 h× 20 kg = 500 mg/24 h. Step 3 is: Calculate the maximum safe daily dose for the child by multiplying the maximum recommended dose (50 mg/kg/24 h) by the child's weight in kg. 50 mg/kg/24 h× 20 kg = 1000 mg/24 h. Step 4 is: Determine the safe single dose range by dividing the safe daily dose range by the number of divided doses per 24 hours (every 6 hours = 4 doses/24 h). Minimum single dose: 500 mg/24 h÷ 4 doses = 125 mg/dose. Maximum single dose: 1000 mg/24 h÷ 4 doses = 250 mg/dose. The safe dose is 500 𝐭𝐨 1000 𝐦𝐠/24 𝐡 and the single dose range is 125 𝐭𝐨 250 𝐦𝐠/𝐝𝐨𝐬𝐞.