What
is
Pharmacology
Math? |
Nurses
must perform dosage calculations when administering medications and intravenous
fluids. Pharmacology math requires the nurse to know systems of
measurement (metric, household, apothecary, and avoirdupois) and how to
convert within those systems of measurement. Other system of measurements
include units (common for insulin and heparin), milliequivalents (mEq)
(common for some drugs such as potassium chloride), and international
units (IU) (common for vitamins). Since nurses need to accurately
calculate medication dosages, it is essential to understand drug weights
and measures.
Math computation
skills (addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, fractions,
etc) are necessary to calculate medication dosages.
To interpret
physician's orders, the nurse must also understand abbreviations used
to describe those units of measurement and frequency of administration.
Other instances
in which the nurse may use math (pharmacology) includes calculating
safe dosages of medications.
Nurses
may use basic math to determine intake and output.
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