Have you ever said, "I Can't Stand Math"? For five decades, I have heard numerous pharmacists, technicians, nurses, and other healthcare practitioners make this statement.
I have personally made similar comments. Unfortunately, most of my teachers were unable to make math interesting, practical, or fun. The aforementioned are reasons I finally decided to write a textbook that is easy to understand, practical, and entertaining.
By now, you have probably noticed I am writing to you personally and not in the "third person." It is important for me that you relax and know I recognize the barriers and fears you are experiencing in learning pharmacy calculations.
I will become your personal tutor and cheerleader throughout this book and hopefully will prove to you that math can be easy and enjoyable. More importantly, I want you to learn for life and not just for certification or for final examinations.
This textbook has been written in a self-instructional format so you can use it either while studying alone or in support of a formal course. It will also serve as a reference book throughout your pharmacy career.
When teaching math, I believe in the old acronym K.I.S.S., which stands for "keep it simple, stupid." In sticking with this axiom, I promise to keep math at an uncomplicated level. In fact, you won't need to remember your algebra, geometry, trigonometry, or calculus to be successful with my techniques. Most problems in this book will be worked in the same manner using simple ratio and proportion.

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

1 Back to Basics 1

Arabic and Roman Numerals

Roman Numeral Rules

Fractions

      • common fractions • types of common fractions • calculating with fractions • multiplying fractions • dividing fractions • adding and subtracting fractions • decimal fractions

2 Systems of Measurement 23

Metric System

Guidelines for Metric Notation

Apothecaries' System

Avoirdupois System

Common Conversion Factors

Household Equivalents

3 Ratio and Proportion 37

So What Is a Ratio?

Proportion

4 Interpreting Drug Orders and Calculating Doses 51

Common Medical Abbreviations

Body Surface Area with Nomograms

Chemotherapy Dosing

5 Reducing and Enlarging Formulas and Compounding 67

Cooking and Compounding

Hyperalimentation

5 Reconstitution of Dry Powders 81

Reconstituting Drugs

7 Intravenous Flow Rates 91

Go with the Flow

8 Percentage Calculations 101

Percentage Preparations

      • percent weight-in-weight • percent volume-in-volume • percent weight-in-votume • milligram percents • parts per million • writing ratio strengths

9 Concentrations and Dilutions 125

Alligation Medial

Stock Solutions and Dilutions

Alligation Alternate

Specific Gravity

10 Electrolyte Solutions 149

Getting Molecular

Milliequivalents

11 Temperature Conversions 163

The How-to Stuff

12 Business Math 169

Common Business Terms

      • markup • percent markup • percent discounts • gross profit • net profit • inventory turnover rate

13 Medication Errors and Clinical Challenges 179

So What Is a "Medication Error"?

      • examples of medication errors • why do medication errors occur?

Problem Abbreviations

Appendix 205

ISMP List of Error-Prone Abbreviations, Symbols, and Dose Designations

Posttest: Mega Math Marathon 207

Answer Key 229

Index 253

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