I am Nurse Brennan, an international Registered Nurse from Canada who immigrated to the USA in 2019. An error in the setup of the ratio and proportion can cause an error in calculation.Medliant International Healthcare Staffing is here to support you every step of the way in your journey to successfully immigrate to the USA as a Registered Nurse.Be consistent in how ratios are stated and conversions are done.A proportion can be stated in a horizontal fashion using colons or as a fraction.Double-check the label for x by referring back to the label of x in the original ratio and proportion it should be the same. Label the value you obtain for x (e.g., mL, tabs).Before calculating the dosage, make a mental estimate of the approximate and reasonable answer.Label all terms of the ratios in the proportion, including x.The terms of the ratios in a proportion must be written in the same sequence.Įxample: mg : mL = mg : mL or mg mL = mg mL.The unknown ratio is the dosage desired, or what the prescriber has ordered. The known ratio is what is available or on hand or the information obtained from the medication label. When stating ratios, the known is stated first.It is usual to convert what is ordered to the same unit and system of measure you have the medication available in.
Be consistent as to how you make conversions. When conversion of units is required, conversions can be made by converting what is ordered to the units in which the medication is available or by changing what is available to the units in which the medication is ordered.If they are not, a conversion will be necessary before calculating the dosage. Make sure all terms are in the same unit and system of measure before calculating.Determining whether an answer is logical will be discussed further in later chapters covering the calculation of dosages by various routes. Determining whether an answer is logical is essential and necessary in the calculation of medication. As with the other examples, this proportion could be stated as a fraction as well.įor the purpose of learning to calculate dosages by using ratio and proportion, this chapter emphasizes the mathematics used to calculate the answer. Doing this consistently can prevent confusion. As a rule, it is best to convert to the measure stated on the medication label. Therefore if possible, avoid conversions that require their use. Even though converting the milligrams to grams would net the same final answer, conversions that net decimals are often the source of calculation errors. However, decimals are common when measures are changed from smaller to larger in the metric system: 500 mg = 0.5 g. In doing this, 500 mg would be converted to grams by using the same equivalent: 1,000 mg = 1 g. An alternate method of solving might be to convert milligrams to grams.
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