Question

what would be the appropriate interpretation for the following order?
demerol 50 mg im stat? administer __________.

demerol 50 mg im when needed
demerol 50 mg im as desired
demerol 50 mg im immediately
demerol 50 mg im on call to or

Explanation:

Analyze the medical order

The medical order provided is: "Demerol 50 mg IM stat". We need to interpret the abbreviation "stat" to find the correct meaning of this order.

Interpret the abbreviation

Using the Medical Abbreviations knowledge point, we define the key terms:

• IM stands for intramuscularly (into a muscle).
• stat is derived from the Latin word statim, which means "immediately" or "at once".

Evaluate the options

• "when needed" corresponds to the abbreviation prn.
• "as desired" corresponds to the abbreviation ad lib.
• "immediately" corresponds to the abbreviation stat.
• "on call to OR" is a specific pre-operative instruction, not represented by stat.

Therefore, the correct interpretation is to administer Demerol 50 mg IM immediately.

Answer:

• Demerol 50 mg IM when needed
• Demerol 50 mg IM as desired
• Demerol 50 mg IM immediately (Correct answer)
• Demerol 50 mg IM on call to OR