A physician orders 1500 mL of a solution to be infused over 12 hours. What is the hourly rate?

To determine the hourly rate for the infusion, you need to divide the total volume of the solution by the total infusion time in hours. Here, the physician has ordered 1500 mL of solution to be infused over a period of 12 hours.

The calculation would be performed as follows:

1. Total volume of solution: 1500 mL

2. Total hours for infusion: 12 hours

The hourly rate can be calculated by dividing the total volume by the total hours:

[ \text{Hourly Rate} = \frac{1500 , \text{mL}}{12 , \text{hours}} ]

Performing the division gives:

[ \text{Hourly Rate} = 125 , \text{mL/hour} ]

This means that to infuse the solution evenly over the designated time, the infusion rate must be set to 125 mL per hour. Understanding this calculation helps nurses ensure that medications and fluids are administered at the correct rate, which is vital for patient safety and efficacy of treatment.