Pharmaceutical calculations are essential for ensuring the safe and accurate administration of medications. They involve using mathematical formulas to determine the correct dosage of a medication based on a variety of factors, such as the patient's weight, age, and kidney function. The metric system is the preferred system of measurement in pharmacy because it is a decimal-based system that is easy to use and minimizes the risk of errors.
Here are some of the common types of pharmaceutical calculations:
Concentration calculations: These calculations are used to determine the amount of medication in a given volume of solution. For example, a pharmacist may need to calculate how much of a concentrated syrup to add to water to create a diluted solution for a child.
Dosage calculations: These calculations are used to determine the amount of medication to administer to a patient based on their weight, age, and other factors. For example, a pharmacist may need to calculate the number of tablets to give a patient based on their weight and the prescribed dosage.
Percentage calculations: These calculations are used to determine the percentage of a medication in a solution. For example, a pharmacist may need to calculate the percentage of alcohol in a tincture.
Ratio calculations: These calculations are used to determine the ratio of one ingredient to another in a mixture. For example, a pharmacist may need to calculate the ratio of antibiotic powder to sterile water for injection.
The metric system is a decimal-based system of measurement that is based on the meter for length and the kilogram for mass. The metric system is widely used in science and medicine because it is easy to use and minimizes the risk of errors.
Here are some of the common metric units used in pharmacy:
Gram (g): Unit of mass
Milliliter (mL): Unit of volume
Liter (L): Unit of volume
Meter (m): Unit of length
Milligram (mg): One-thousandth of a gram
Microgram (mcg): One-millionth of a gram.
Prefix Meaning Value
kela (k) kilo 1,000
hecto (h) hecto 100
deca (da) deca 10
deci (d) deci 0.1
centi (c) centi 0.01
milli (m) milli 0.001
micro (µ) micro 0.000 001
nano (n) nano 0.000 000 001
pico (p) pico 0.000 000 000 001
