Golden Rules for Drug Calculation
Always ensure that you are working with the same units in your calculations. Convert units if necessary to achieve this.
i.e. mg or mcg but not both together!
Always look at your result from a drug calculation and ask is this a reasonable dose?
i.e. A 600g dose of antibiotics or a 20 tablet dose of furosemide are both likely to be incorrect!
If working out a complex dose calculation or if you are ever unsure, always get someone to check your result.
Basic Metric Units
Common metric abbreviations
Gram = g
Milligram = mg
Litre = l
Millilitre = ml
Microgram = mcg
Prefixes:
Kilo = one thousand times = (1000)
Centi = hundredth part of = (0.01)
Milli= thousandth part of = (0.001)
Micro = millionth part of = (0.000001)
1 Kilogram (kg) = 1000 grams (g)
1 gram (g) = 1000 milligrams (mg)
1 milligram = 1000 micrograms (mcg)
1 litre = 1000 millilitres (ml)
