Maths and Medications

Kerry Reid-Searl, Trudy Dwyer, Lorna Moxham, Jo Reid-Speirs, Ann Richards

"This handy pocket sized guide is an essential component in any nurse’s pocket. ... Overall this guide is a practical, useful and compact book that any nursing student would be able to utilize. I would recommend this book to all nursing students as a fundamental purchase in their first year." - Louise Goodyear, Nursing Student

• INTRODUCTION MATHS REVISITED Mathematical symbols Order of operations Number fact grids Time Hindu-Arabic and Roman numerals Fraction, decimal and percentage conversions The base system The decimal point Measuring a fluid balance chart Revisiting basic algorithms Working with fractions Percentages Rounding The metric system some handy tables involving measurement Intravenous fluid requirements Rule of nines formulas used in nursing Calculating dosage using a formula applying drug calculations using formulas Calculating oral medications Calculating parenteral medications safe medication administration Categories of drugs What must be on a prescription and administration record What makes a prescription valid What is on a medication label Frequency and times of medication administration Commonly used and understood abbreviations Other abbreviations Intravenous fluids—what is on a fluid order Abbreviations for intravenous fluids Intravenous fluids—drip rates for giving sets where 20 drops = 1 mL The process of medication administration Medication administration guidelines for students Preventing errors