03 Medication Orders and Dose Calculations Free Online FlashCards

What should you do when a medication order is incomplete or unclear?

Do not guess or administer it. Pause and seek clarification from the appropriate prescriber or pharmacist, following facility policy.

What information should a medication order make clear?

As applicable, it identifies the medication and formulation or concentration, dose and unit, route, timing, PRN instructions, and required patient and prescriber details.

What should be checked before administering a medication?

Compare the drug, dose, route, timing, and formulation with the label and current patient information. Consider allergies, indications, and patient-specific precautions.

When is medication reconciliation especially important?

It is especially important at admission, transfer between care settings, and discharge.

How should a dose below one be written?

Use a leading zero for doses below one: write $0.5\text{ mg}$, not .5 mg. This helps prevent tenfold errors.

How should a whole-number dose be written to avoid a trailing zero?

Avoid trailing zeros: write $5\text{ mg}$, not $5.0\text{ mg}$. This helps prevent tenfold errors.

What is medication reconciliation?

It creates the best possible current medication list, compares it with new orders, resolves unintended differences, and communicates the updated regimen.

What should a medication history include beyond prescriptions?

Ask about prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, supplements, and products such as eye drops, creams, and inhalers.

How should unexplained medication-list differences be handled?

Compare the verified list with current orders and the care plan; resolve unexplained differences with the appropriate clinician or prescriber rather than assuming they are intentional.

How do you calculate the number of tablets or capsules to give?

Divide the ordered dose by the dose in each tablet or capsule: $\text{number to give}=\frac{\text{dose ordered}}{\text{dose per tablet or capsule}}$.

How do you calculate the volume of a liquid medication to give?

Divide the ordered dose by the available dose, then multiply by the volume containing that dose: $\text{volume to give}=\frac{\text{dose ordered}}{\text{dose available}}\times\text{volume containing that dose}$.

How do you calculate a dose ordered in mg/kg?

Multiply the ordered amount per kilogram by the patient’s weight in kilograms: $\text{dose}=\text{ordered amount per kg}\times\text{weight in kg}$.