Dosage

&
Calculations
Prof. Francis Vincent Acena, MAN, RN, RM
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

Perform calculations Ensure patient safety in

01 needed for medication 03 drug administration
administration

Correctly interpret the

02 Use critical thinking when
calculating dosages
04 instructions written by a
physician or prescriber
 Important!
Patient safety is a key concern for nurses;
ability to calculate drug doses correctly is
an essential skill to prevent and reduce
medication errors.
 01
Common Medical
Abbreviations related
to Medication
 Routes
IM– Intramuscular
IO– Intraosseous
IV– Intravenous
IVP– Intravenous Push
ID – Intradermal
IN – Intranasal
IP – Intraperitoneal
IT – Intrathecal
IVPB – Intravenous piggyback
p.o – By mouth
SC / SubQ – Subcutaneous
SL – Sublingual
top. – Topical
Supp – suppository (rectal)
pess– Vaginal suppository
 Routes
IM– Intramuscular

“within” or “inside”
 Routes
IM– Intramuscular

within the muscle

 Routes
IM– Intramuscular
IO– Intraosseous
IV– Intravenous
IVP– Intravenous Push
ID – Intradermal
IN – Intranasal
IP – Intraperitoneal
IT – Intrathecal
IVPB – Intravenous piggyback
p.o – By mouth
SC / SubQ – Subcutaneous
SL – Sublingual
top. – Topical
Supp – suppository (rectal)
pess– Vaginal suppository
 Measurement
Kg– kilogram
gm– gram
mg– milligram
mcg– microgram
mEq- milliequivalent
L– liter
mL– milliliter
µg– microgram
gtt – drop
µgtt – micro drop
tbsp – tablespoon
tsp – teaspoon
mg/dL – milligrams per deciliter
OD- once a day - the drug is given at 8 am or 9 am unless specified by the
doctor
BID- twice a day- the drug is given at 8 am and 6 pm
TID- thrice a day- the drug is given at 8 am, 12 nn or 1pm and 6 pm
QID- four times a day- the drug is given at 8am, 12nn, 4pm and 8 pm
prn- whenever necessary, no specific time unless time interval is specified by
the doctor.

Example (prn):
Buscopan 10 mg 1 tab prn for abdominal pain
Buscopan 10 mg 1 tab prn q 4 hrs. for abdominal pain

In the first example, you can give Buscopan when necessary, but the 2nd
example you can give Buscopan whenever necessary, but the nurse must
observe a 4-hour interval between doses. If the client is still in pain and the
4-hour interval is not yet done, the nurse can re-assess the client and
can refer the client’s severity of pain to the doctor.
q- every
q4 hrs.- every 4 hours. The drug is given at (4am-8am-12nn-4pm-8pm-12mn).
The drug is given 6x a day (24 hrs. divided by 4 hrs.)
or RTC (Round-the-clock)

q6 hrs.- every 6 hours. The drug is given at (6 am-12nn -6pm- 12 mn).

The drug is given 4x a day (24 hrs. divided by 6 hours) or RTC

q8 hrs - every 8 hours. The drug is given at (8am-4pm-12mn).

The drug is given 3x a day (24hrs divided by 8) or RTC

p.o.- per orem or by mouth

SL- sublingual- the medication is placed under the tongue
 L -liter
o.d. - occulus dexter or right eye Neb -nebule
o.s. - occulus sinister or left eye Amp -ampule
o.u. - occulus uterque or both eyes or each eye Tsp -teaspoon
a.d. –right ear tbsp. -table spoon
a.s. - left ear ODBB- once a day before breakfast
a.u. both ears R - refused
HS - hours of sleep, at bedtime or half strength
mg- milligrams NA - not available
gm or G- gram Syr - syrup
gr- grain Susp - suspension
ml-milliliter Elix -elixir
cc-cubic centimeters Supp - suppository (rectal)
Pess - vaginal suppository
Gtt - drop; gtts- drops
a – before
ac –before meal
cap. -capsule
hs or HS –at bedtime: Hours of sleep
MDI –metered dosage inhaler
P –after
Rx –prescription
stat –immediately
Tab –Tablet
Tx –Treatment
FR –Fast Release
TR –Timed-Release
XR –Extended Release
Conversion
 Conversion
Mass

Big to smallest
Kg → g → mg → mcg ( x by 1,000 )

mcg → mg → g → kg ( ÷ by 1,000 )
lb ← kg ( x by 2.2 )
lb → kg ( ÷ by 2.2 )
Mass Conversion
Big to smallest
Kg → g → mg → mcg ( multiply by 1,000 )

Example

1 Kg to g? [ 1 kg x 1000 = 1000g]
3 g to mg? [ 3 g x 1000 = 3000 mg]
5 mg to mcg? [ 5 mg x 1000 = 5000 mcg]

Small to biggest
mcg → mg → g → kg ( divide by 1,000 )

Example

500 mcg to mg? [ 500mcg ÷ 1000 = 0.5 mg ]

1000 mg to g? [ 1000 mg ÷ 1000 = 1 g ]
250 g to kg? [ 250 g ÷ 1000 = 0.25 kg ]
 Conversion

Volume
A. Liter to mL L → mL ( multiply by 1,000 )

Example: How many mL in 5 Liters?

Computation: 5 liters x 1000 = 5000 mL

B. mL to Liter mL → L ( divide by 1,000 )

Example: How many liters in 3000 mL?

Computation: 3000 mL ÷ 1000 = 3 L
 Conversion

Time
A. Hour to minutes hr → min ( multiply by 60 )

Example: How many minutes in 3 hours?

Computation: 3 hours x 60 = 180 minutes

B. minutes to hour min → hr ( divide by 60 )

Example: How many hours in 120 minutes?

Computation: 120 minutes ÷ 60 = 2 hours
Calculating
dosages
 Calculating Tablet Dosages
Formula:
Desired dosage
= Number of Tablets
Stock dose

* Desired dosage is the ordered dosage of the physician

Stock dose is the amount of drug present in each tablet.
 Calculating Tablet Dosages
• Desired dosage is the ordered dosage
• of the physician
Stock dose is the amount of drug present
in each tablet.
 Example 1: The physician orders 500 mg of Amoxicillin tablet TID for the patient.
The drug is available in 250 mg tablets. How many tablets should be given to the
patient?

Desired dosage
Formula: = Number of Tablets
Stock dose

500 mg
= 2 tablets
250 mg

* 500 mg ÷ 250 mg = 2 tablets

 Example 2: The physician orders 1g of Paracetamol tablet prn for the patient. The
drug is available in 500 mg tablets. How many tablets should be given to the
patient?

Desired dosage
Formula: = Number of Tablets
Stock dose

1g
= # of tablets
500 mg

* First, convert g to mg

1000 mg
=2 tablets
500 mg
 Calculating Mixtures & Solutions
Formula:
Desired dosage
X Stock volume = Amount of solution
Stock dose to be given

D Amount of solution
XQ= to be given
S
* Desired dosage is the ordered dosage of the physician
Stock dose is the amount of drug present in each tablet.
Stock volume is the amount of the solution where the drug is
diluted.
 Calculating Mixtures & Solutions
Stock dose is the amount of drug present
in each tablet.
Stock volume is the amount of the solution
where the drug is diluted or the amount of
sterile water to dissolve powder-based meds

vial
 Example 1: •The physician orders 500 mg of Ceftriaxone q8 for the patient.
The drug is available in 1 g vial. You plan to dilute it in 10 mL of
sterile water. How much should you give to your patient?

Desired dosage Amount of solution

Formula: X Stock volume =
To be given
Stock dose ater
ile w
L ster
500 mg 10 m
Solution: X 10 mL = 5 mL
1000 mg

*500 ÷ 1000 x 10 = 5mL

 Calculating Mixtures & Solutions
Stock dose is the amount of drug present
in each tablet.

ule
p
vial Am

Stock volume is the amount of the solution

where the drug is diluted or the amount of
sterile water to dissolve powder-based meds
 Example 1: •The physician orders 5 mg of Metoclopramide prn for the
patient.
The drug is available in 10 mg per 2 mL preparation. How much should
you give to your patient?

Desired dosage Amount of solution

Formula: X Stock volume =
To be given
Stock dose

5 mg
Solution: X 2 mL = 1 mL
10 mg

*5 ÷ 10 x 2 = 1 mL
 Thanks!
Prof. Francis
CREDITS: Vincent L. Acena,
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