Essential Drug Dosage Calculations - Softcover

Drug dosage calculation made easy!

This easy to follow book utilizes the popular ratio and proportion method to promote competence in interpreting medication orders and mastery of drug dosage calculation. Numerous problems and case studies boost comprehension and offer real life application. All essential areas of dosage calculation are included as well as additional discussions of today's most current drug dosage technology.

• Step-by-Step guidance: Example problems are worked out and each step of the solution has a clear explanation and instructions.
• Building block instruction: Concepts are presented from simple to complex with numerous example and practice problems that focus on mastery of basic principles before proceeding to more difficult material.
• Syringe drawings: Actual pictures and drawings of syringes provide visual examples and practice of reading filled syringes.
• Color drug labels: Generic and trade names for drugs are used throughout with drug dosage labels for commonly prescribed medications.
• FREE CD-ROM: An interactive CD-ROM included with more practice problems and exercises further reinforce key concepts.

PREFACE

Essential Drug Dosage Calculations, fourth edition, continues to provide the learner with a clear, concise method to develop competence in the interpretation of medication orders and the calculation of safe medication dosages. The text is primarily directed to students enrolled in professional and technical schools of nursing. However, it can also serve as a reference for practicing nurses or as part of in-service education refresher courses for inactive nurses. Students and faculty who have used the first through third editions report that the book can be used as a self-paced independent learning module or within a planned course with comparable results.

Essential Drug Dosage Calculations presents the ratio and proportion method of calculation. It provides a logical, accurate and consistent means of calculation without the need to memorize complicated formulas. Both generic and trade names of drugs are used throughout the text to help the learner become familiar with the current dosage forms. The metric system is the primary conversion system used for problem solving, but apothecary and household systems of measure are also included so that the student is prepared to deal with all situations.

The fourth edition of Essential Drug Dosage Calculations has attempted to stay true to the title of including the essentials without sacrificing quality. Some of the changes which we believe will enhance learning include:

• Use of four colors to enhance presentation and emphasize important points
• Objectives at the beginning of each chapter let the learner know what to expect
• Important facts highlighted for emphasis and quick reference
• Each section within a chapter has practice problems to reinforce and evaluate the learning
• Each practice problem or exam problem is worked out step-by-step for the learner
• Military (24 hr) time and conventional times are used throughout the text
• Content is presented from simple to complex followed by practice problems before proceeding to more difficult information
• Syringe drawings allow practice in reading filled syringes and practice in filling syringes with the prescribed dosage
• Drug dosage labels of commonly prescribed medications are included to help the learner in selecting the proper information needed to determine the correct dosage
• IV calculation is divided into two chapters. One chapter focuses on the basic calculations while the second chapter focuses on administration by concentration, IV push, and other more advanced calculations
• Special Check Points are established after Chapters 5 and 9 to evaluate learning before proceeding to the next section
• Two comprehensive exams provide the learner with additional practice and validation of learning

Every effort has been made to make this fourth edition an even more successful learning tool for students and to help them master critical knowledge needed to prepare and administer safe medications.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We appreciate the willingness of the following companies to provide drug labels and product information for reproduction in the book.

Abbott Laboratories
AMGEN
Astra USA, Inc.
DISTA—A division of Eli Lilly & Company
Eli Lilly and Company
Medical Economics Company
Merck and Co., Inc.
Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Glaxo Wellcome
Hoechst Marion Roussel
Parke-Davis—A division of WarnerLambert
SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals
WarnerLambert Company
Wyeth Laboratories Inc.—A Wyeth-Ayerst Company
Elkins-Sinn, Inc.—A division of A. H. Robins Co.

We extend our appreciation to the many nursing and health care educators who adopted our book over these past years. To the students in nursing and allied health programs who have found this book helpful in learning how to calculate safe dosages, we thank you for your support. We would also like to thank the individuals who have reviewed the book and provided us with excellent comments and suggestions for this edition. The feedback from faculty, students, and reviewers validate that the content and style of presentation used in this book are logical, efficient, and promote accuracy in calculating dosages. We must also thank the staff of Appleton & Lange and Prentice Hall for their encouragement and support in the development of this edition.

A very special and sincere thanks goes to Benjamin, who let us know when it was time to eat, time to go out for some R&R, and when it was time to put the book to bed. His antics got us through the rough moments.

Lorrie N. Hegstad
Wilma Hayek