Medical Math for Healthcare Professionals

Medical Math  All health care workers are required to perform simple math __________ when doing various tasks.  Knowing basic math calculations are essential for all health care professionals to be ________.

A story pulled from the headlines…  Actor Dennis Quaid’s newborn twins are hospitalized at a prestigious hospital in California for an infection.  Pharmacy technicians and nurses accidentally administer 1000x too much of a anti-clotting drug Heparin.  Quaid states that he saw blood splatter across the room as a bandage was replaced on one of his babies.  The twins recovered, but Quaid and his wife sue the drugmaker for negligence.

Key points from this story…  Dosing mistakes are made, even today, at the best hospitals.  Patients are harmed by _______ errors.  Nurses are often the last stop in quality control before a drug is administered.  Giving 10x, 100x, or ______x too much, or too little of a drug is a common mistake.

Steps for error prevention…  Know “reasonable” doses for commonly prescribed drugs.  Be comfortable with numbers and ____ math.  Process a doctor’s order confidently and accurately.  Assess whether a calculated dose is “reasonable.”  Always _______ ______ with a colleague to ensure proper dosing.

Common medical symbols/ abbreviations

Numbers  Numbers are expressed in different forms: –______ numbers: are the counting numbers and zero; they do not contain decimals or fractions – whole numbers: are numbers that have decimals ex: –_____ numbers: are whole numbers and a fraction ex: 12 ½ –Percentages: the whole or all of something ex: 12%

Numbers  Numbers that have more than one digit are defined by their place value. For ex: –The number 7777  Place value –7 (thousands) –7 (_______) –7 (tens) –7 (_____) *This number is described by saying “seven thousand, seven hundred seventy-seven” *Numbers are written with a comma placed to the left of every third digit. 7,777

Numbers  Numbers indicating less than a whole number are placed to the _____ of a decimal. –The number 7, is given the following place values  Place value –7, (thousands) –7 (hundreds) –7 (tens) –7. (ones) –2 (tenths) –5 (hundredths) –5 (thousandths) *It is written 7, and described as “seven thousand, seven hundred seventy-seven and two hundred and fifty-five thousandths”

Numbers  Additions- the ______ of two or more numbers  Subtraction- the opposite of addition; taking a number away from another number  Multiplication- a quick easy way to add; finding the ______ of two numbers  Division- the opposite of multiplication; the process of separating into parts

The Metric System  The health care worker is expected to measure and calculate weights, heights, and volume in ______ units of measure.  Understanding how to convert standard and ______ units of measure is helpful in various settings settings

Metric System  The health care industry uses the metric system for measuring. It is used by ____% of the world and is known as the International System of Units.

4 Basic Rules of Metric System 1. Numbers indicating less than one unit are always written in a decimal form, not as fractions. Ex: 1/10=0.1 or 1/100=0.01 or 1/1000= When writing decimals, if there is no number before the decimal, always write a 0. Ex:.1 is 0.1 or.5 is Abbreviations for metric terms are never plural; they are always written in singular form. Ex: grams is g, not gs; liters is L, not Ls. Always capitalize the abbreviation for L for liter to reduce confusing the lowercase l with the Leave a space between the number and the abbreviation, as shown in the following ex: 8 g or 0.1 dm.

Metric Terms and Abbreviations TermAbbreviationsMeasures In Place of Meter_____length Inch, foot, yard, mile _____gweight Ounce, pound liter__volume Fluid ounce, cup, pint, quart, gallon

Metric Terms and Abbreviations TermAbbreviations What is Measures ______k 1,000 units hecto____ 100 units

Metric Terms and Abbreviations TermAbbreviation What is Measures ______d 1/10 or 0.1 unit centi__ 1/100 or 0.01 unit _______m 1/1000 or unit

Using the Metric System to Measure  A meter stick can be used to measure length in the following units: –_____meter (cm) –Millimeter (mm) –Meters (m) *1 meter is slightly more than __ ft

Measurements  Measures of Length –1 hectogram= 100 meters –1.5 hectogram= 150 meters –1 kilometer= 1,000 meters –1.5 kilometer= 1,500 meters  Measures of Weight –1 hectogram= 100 g –1.5 hectogram= 150 g –1 kilogram= 1,000 g –1.5 kilogram= 1,500 g –1 kilogram= 10 hectograms

Using Metric System to Measure  Liters, Milliliters and Cubic Centimeters –A liter (L) is slightly larger than a ______ –A milliliter (mL) is 1/1000 of a liter –Cubic Centimeter (__) are interchangeable with mL –_____ can be used to measure weight in grams, hectograms, and kilograms –Celsius (___) and Centigrade- the metric measure of heat is Celsius or centigrade, which are the same.

Changing Ounces to Milliliters and Cubic Centimeters (cc) _oz medicine 1 oz x 30 cc/mL = 30 cc=30 mL 8 oz water 8 oz x 30 cc/mL = 240 cc= 240mL _ oz soup 6 oz x 30 cc/mL = 180 cc = 180mL 4 oz juice 4 oz x 30 cc/mL = 120 cc = 120mL __ oz soda 12 oz x 30 cc/mL = 360 cc = 360mL

Measuring Devices  Health care workers use various types of measuring devices to measure _______.

Changing Pounds to Kilograms and Kilograms to Pounds  To change lb to kg, ________ the number of lbs by 0.45 lb/kg  To change kg to lb, multiply the number of kg by 2.2 lb/kg  110 lb changed to kilograms: 110 lb x 0.45 kg/lb = 49.5 kg  200 lb changed to kg: 200 lb x 0.45 x kg/lb = 91 kg  50 kg changed to lb = 50 kg x 2.2 lb/kg = 110 lb  91 kg changed to lb = 91 kg x 2.2 lb/kg = 200 lb

Changing Ounces to Grams Changing Ounces to Grams  One ounce (oz) = ___ grams (g).  To change ounces to grams, multiply __ g/oz by the number of ounces.  To change grams to ounces, divide __ g/oz into the number of grams  1 oz changed to grams: 1 oz x 30 g/oz = 30 g  8 oz changed to grams: 8 oz x 30 g/oz = 240 g

24 hour/Military Time Clock  Medical facilities frequently use the __-hour clock system. The 24-hour clock system clearly states time and eliminates confusion on documentation.  Military time is always expressed in four digits and ___ colons are used to separate hours and minutes.  Always use a 0 to _______ the four digit number ex: for 1:00am = 0100  Remember to state the time in hundreds ex: 1:00 am= 0100= zero one hundred hours; 1100= eleven hundred hours (11am) *______wich time- standard time; a 12-hour clock

Military- 24-hour clock