And, this course strongly recommends that you do exactly that in your practice. Although most facilities have pharmacy calculate and deliver unit dose medications, and have iv pumps to calculate iv rates, the nurse remains responsible for the delivery of the correct dose of medications and ivs. Formula method each method will allow an accurate calculation of the medication dosage. Drug calculations for nurses robert lapham bpharm clin dip pharm mrpharms clinical pharmacist, sunderland royal hospital, city hospitals sunderland nhs trust, uk heather agar rgn bsc hons rheumatology specialist nurse, northumbria healthcare. Dosage calculation using the formula method basicmedical key.
Intravenous infusion this example illustrates how to calculate how much fluid a patient receives. The purpose of this chapter is to take away the mystery of medication math and replace it with con. Study guide with sample questions dosage calculation competency applicants to the lpntoassociate degree bridgenursing program must document competency indosage calculation that is equivalent to the content covered in nur 5. The drug calculations range in complexity from requiring a simple conversion calculation to a more complex calculation for drugs administered by mcgkgmin. A tablet or liquid may contain a certain amount of active ingredient, and the prescription might be a multiple or a fraction of that amount. Weight is the patients weight, expressed in kg or lb. For most drug calculation problems, there is more than one method for arriving at the correct answer. No matter what initials you have after your name rn, cna, pa, and so on, you can bet youll see math on a daily basis if youre going into or are already in a career in the medical field. The dosage calculation competency test is given as a proctored assessment in the colleges testing. Nursing tutoring essentials can assist you in in preparing for your drug calculations test, which generally occurs throughout your rn nursing university degree. Dosage calculations include calculating the number of doses, dispensing quantities, and ingredient quantities.
Apr 28, 2020 many nursing students panic in their drug calculation exams. More drugs are supplied in prefilled syringes and drug dosages are getting a little easier. During your basic training, you undoubtedly learned at least one approach for each type of problem. A nurses ultimate guide to accurate drug dosage calculations. The pharmacy technician must have a full work ing knowledge of how to perform these calculations. If the dosage calculation is in mghr or mgkghr, remove 60 minutes from the formula.
Worlds best powerpoint templates crystalgraphics offers more powerpoint templates than anyone else in the world, with over 4 million to choose from. For example, if lidocaine comes 1 g 25 ml, and you will mix 1 g in your 500 ml iv bag, first withdraw 25 ml of. To calculate the hourly rate mlhr, you may utilize the following formulas. It is an extract from the nursing times learning unit drug calculations in practice, which includes clinical scenarios to test your calculations. Apr 10, 2019 practice drug dosage calculations for the nclex or any nursing exam with this 20item questionnaire. This page is dedicated to iv administration sets that serve the mixture to the end user patient. Appendix d example i you are required to give 6 mg morphine. Set up a series of ratios and proportions to solve a single dosage calculation. Drug calculations for nurses a step by step approach, 3rd edition robert lapham heather agar. Drug calculation formulas straight medication administration iv, im, sq, po, pr, ett, in, etc giving a medication from a vial, ampule, prefilled syringe, or any liquid no time or drips involved not an iv drip over time if weight dependant, must convert pounds to kilograms and multiply kg x the ordered. This course will give you an opportunity to refresh your previous knowledge of calculations and gain. Dosage calculations i introduction to drug calculations.
However, you must pay close attention to whether the dosage has been prescribed per kg or lbs. Physician orders 500 mg of ibuprofen desired dose for a patient and you have 250 mg quantity on hand tablets quantity of solution on hand solution. Drug calculations for nurses 4th edition pdf download. Reducing and enlarging formulas striving for accuracy in pharmacy calculations tips to help minimize calcula tions errors pharmacy calculation practice resources. When calculating how much of a drug is required, working with the formula helps the accuracy of the calculation. Drug calculations exam always seems like such a scary and overwhelming thought. If you administered naloxone every 2 minutes, how many times would you have administered naloxone to the patient until they reached the maximum dose. Preparing for the drug dosage calculation competency exam bsn. Pdf drug calculations for nurses a step by step approach, 3rd. Winner of the standing ovation award for best powerpoint templates from presentations magazine.
Calculate the number of tablets or capsules to administer 4. It is expected that you achieve 100% and why shouldnt that be an expectation client safety is paramount. Drug calculations 1 volumeof stock stock strength strength required volume required. In whatever the type of calculation you are doing, it is always. It is easy to read and has lots of exercises to work from. Drug calculation made easy for nurses nursing manthra. If the dosage calculation is in mgmin or mcgmin add 60 minutes into the formula. The exam looms for months often causing people unnecessary worry.
At the end of this lesson you will be able to accurately convert within the metric system between kilograms, grams, milligrams, and micrograms. Overview abbreviations metric conversions desired dose concentrations drip rates medications dopamine and lidocaine abbreviations cc cubic centimeter dd desired dose gm gram. Drug calculations for nurses 4th edition pdf a stepbystep approach drug calculations for nurses 4th edition pdf free download, drug calculations for nurses 4th edition pdf, drug calculations for nurses 4th edition ebook content the administration of drug treatments in hospitals has become increasingly complex. Study guide with sample questions dosage calculation. Some medications such as dopamine, nitroglycerin, or versed are calculated based on. Regardless of the drug to be administered, careful and accurate calculations are necessary to help prevent medication errors. Physician orders 500 mg of ibuprofen desired dose for a patient and you have 250 mg quantity on hand tablets quantity of solution on hand. Weightbased dosage calculations drug medication calculations by. From medical dosage calculations for dummies by richard snyder, barry schoenborn no matter what initials you have after your name rn, cna, pa, and so on, you can bet youll see math on a daily basis if youre going into or are already in a career in the medical field.
The drug label on the medicine indicates that the medicine is supplied in 60 mg per tablet. Ppt drug calculations powerpoint presentation free to. In this case the parameters that are available to us do not have the same units on both sides. Regardless of the drug to be administered, careful and accurate calculations are important to help prevent medication errors.
The answers and formulas are on the following page. Formula method ratio method example ii you are required to give 30 units insulin. Change the parameters so that the units are the same on both sides as follows. Measurement systems used in the practice of pharmacy unit 3. Units are matched therefore no need to convert meq to meq. Many nurses are weak with drug calculations of all sorts. Despite that, however, pharmacology for nurses shouldnt make you feel scared or overwhelmed. Nurse directors from our client facilities have indicated that they. Spitler, msed, rn, nremtp ems educator charlotte, north carolina introduction medication calculations can cause frustration for ems providers. If you want to calculate the dose of a medication, you need to use the following equation. It is very important that you input an accurate result. We encourage you to practice all the equations so that you are capable of correctly calculating iv medications. Study guide with sample questions dosage calculation competency.
Iv and drug calculations for busy paramedics by kent r. Identify the information from a calculation problem to place into the formula given 2. Dosage calculations after completing this chapter, you should be able to. The calculation is very simple and easy to perform. Drug dosage calculations germanna community college. Drug calculations for nurses robert lapham bpharm clin dip pharm mrpharms clinical pharmacist, sunderland royal hospital, city hospitals sunderland nhs trust, uk heather agar rgn bsc hons rheumatology specialist nurse, northumbria healthcare nhs trust, uk third edition astepbystep approach. Higher dosages of opioids are associated with higher risk of overdose and deatheven relatively low dosages 2050 morphine milligram equivalents mme per day increase risk. If a prescription reads diphenhydramine 50 mg po hs x 30 days, what would be the dispensed quantity of drug in ml 12. You are asked to give a patient weighing 50 kg a 1 mgkg iv injection. Practicing drug calculations will develop stronger and more confident math skills.
The safest approach to drug calculation is to use the same method for the same type of problem each time. In many cases, drawing a picture that visually represents the problem is often a helpful strategy. We will use the dosage formula to calculate the correct amount of medication for one dose. At the end of this lesson the learner will be able to accurately convert patient weight. One way to tackle these types of questions is to set up a simple equation where x is the variable you are trying to find. These are useful because you can watch them at home and play them back as many times as you like. Clarks rule and youngs rule, calculating pediatric and. Trust me, i used to get so worried about drug calculation exam because of that dreaded 100% target that everyone longs to reach. Calculating the number of tablets or volume of elixir. The rule for maximum dosage volume to be administered per intramuscular injection. Often drugs are prescribed based on an adults or childs weight in order to more accurately dose. Ratio rainbow method, proportion method, formula method, or dimensional analysis.
Patient medication safety is a goal that all practitioners have in commonit starts with doing the math. Higher dosages havent been shown to reduce pain over the long term. Where d desired is the dosage the physician ordered, a available is the dosage strength as stated on the medication label, and q quantity is the volume in which the dosage strength is available e. Calculating total daily dose of opioids for safer dosage higher dosage, higher risk. In this quiz, well present them as the usual multiple choice format, but that doesnt mean itll be easy. Introduction when calculating how much of a drug is required, working with the formula helps the accuracy of the calculation. We encourage you to practice all the equations so that you are capable of correctly calculating iv medications seen in the icu setting. A score of 90% or better is required in order to pass the exam and two testing opportunities are permitted.
Clarks rule and youngs rule, calculating pediatric and adult. Dosage calculations i introduction to drug calculations dosage calculations doctors can prescribe medications in amounts that are not convenient to administer. Outlines introduction metric conversions mgkg dose conversion flow infusion rates 3. Math and pharmacology can make it difficult to succeed on course exams, in the clinical setting, and in the field. Reducing and enlarging formulas striving for accuracy in pharmacy calculations tips to help minimize. Calculate the volume to administer for medications in. Ratio and proportion and dimensional analysis unit 2. Heres an indepth yet easytounderstand guide to help you out. One wrong interpretation and calculation can compromise your patients safety and health. However, if the infusion required that 600 micrograms were to be infused each hour instead, this would first need to be converted into mg before the infusion rate was calculated, that is, 600. How to solve drug calculations identify what type of drug calculation and as a first step, use common sense to estimate a rough answer. The stock dose must be multiplied by to convert the mg dose to.
This lesson is designed to help you learn the basics of drug calculations. Formulas for calculating medication dosage basic formula d x q x a where d desired is the dosage the physician ordered, a available is the dosage strength as stated on the medication label, and q quantity is the volume in which the dosage strength is available e. Most health care professionals become comfortable with one method and use that method exclusively. Practice drug dosage calculations for the nclex or any nursing exam with this 20item questionnaire. Therefore, one dose will be one half 12 tablet h 60 mg. Drug calculations drug calculations can be worrisome.
Drug calculation questions are a major concern for most. Introduction medication math can be made simple by mastering only a few basic formulas. Many nursing students panic in their drug calculation exams. Calculating iv fluid infusion rates for fluids with. Calculation of iv drip rate using an electronic pump. How to calculate drug doses and infusion rates accurately. Calculation of drug dosages a work text 10e pdf health. Drug calculations for nurses made easy nursing times.
Introduction to dosage calculations this text begins with simple mathematical problems and creates a bridge from the known to the unknown. There are three basic methods for calculating medication dosages. Wright k, shepherd e 2017 how to calculate drug doses and infusion rates accurately. Determine what information you will need to solve for, in addition to any given information, to properly calculate dosages. The minimum accuracy rate is 78%, and is the same as the minimum pass rate for traditional four.
Jun 28, 2018 doing math in nursing and nursing school is a lot harder and more critical than you think. This calculation is straightforward when the rate you want 30mghour and the amount of the drug in the bag 250mg are both in the same units mg. Pharmacology drug dosage calculations shelby county ems training division. Remember that a formula often used for working out how many tablets to take or for a drug taken. This is because we learn the formulas in paramedic school then learn the street math when we get into the field. This article provides essential information on how to calculate drug doses and infusion rates.
Each chapter builds on information from previous chapters. Calculating total daily dose of opioids for safer dosage. However, when you are studying this course and working the problems that. Quantity of drug available unknown dose on hand doctor s order. Theyll give your presentations a professional, memorable appearance the kind of sophisticated look that todays audiences expect. In the actual nclex, these type of dosage calculations are usually formatted as a fillin the blank question type. Pdf drug calculations for nurses a step by step approach. Overview abbreviations metric conversions desired dose concentrations. Iv infusion, intravenous iv infusion set calculations. Some drug calculations may involve working out the volume of solution needed to give the required dose of a drug. Often some type of calculation prior to medication administration is needed. Medical dosage calculations for dummies cheat sheet. Known for its textbookworkbook format, calculation of drug dosages, 10th edition makes it easy to master the ratio and proportion, formula, and dimensional analysis methods for drug calculation. Reference guide for pharmaceutical calculations krisman.