NURS 3100 Exam 1 Practice

Which statement is accurate regarding the safety of Drug X, Y, and Z based on their therapeutic index values?

1. Drug Z is the safest of the three

2. Drugs X and Y are safer than drug Z

3. The therapeutic index of drug X is 20

4. Drug Y is the safest of the three

The correct answer is: Drug Y is the safest of the three

The therapeutic index is a measure of a drug's safety margin and is calculated by dividing the toxic dose by the therapeutic dose. A higher therapeutic index indicates a safer drug with a wider margin of safety. Therefore, if Drug Y has the highest therapeutic index among Drugs X, Y, and Z, it means that Drug Y has the widest margin of safety and is the safest option among the three drugs. Looking at the other options: - Option A states that Drug Z is the safest of the three, which is incorrect as the answer indicates Drug Y is the safest. - Option B suggests that Drugs X and Y are safer than Drug Z, but without specific therapeutic index values, we cannot make this conclusion. - Option C provides the therapeutic index value for Drug X, but since this value is not compared to the therapeutic index values of Drugs Y and Z, we cannot determine the relative safety among the three drugs.