Chapter 5 Unit Percentage Milliequivalent Ratio Household and

International Units • Measure drug’s action – Not weight • Not abbreviated • Previously

International Units • Written using Arabic numbers followed by space and word “unit” •

International Units • Common medications expressed in units – Insulin – Heparin Copyright ©

Percentage Measurements • Indicate parts per 100 • Greater the percentage, stronger the solution

Percentage Measurements • Used primarily in intravenous (IV) solutions • Also used in topical,

Percentage Measurements • In solutions, represent number of grams of drug per 100 m.

Percentage Measurements • Dextrose and sodium chloride – Most common percentage dosages – Dextrose

Milliequivalent (m. Eq) Measurements • Expression of number of grams of drug in 1

m. Eq Dosages • Written using Arabic numbers followed by space and abbreviation m.

Percentage and m. Eq Measures • Solutions with combination of percentage and m. Eq

Ratio Measures • Strengths primarily used to describe solutions • Written using Arabic numbers

Ratio Measures • Ratio strengths represent parts of drug per parts of solution •

Household Measures • One of the oldest drug measurement systems • Volume measurements include

Household Measures • Drop is integral part of small volume medication preparation – Including

Household/Metric Equivalents Household 1 Ounce 1 Tablespoon 1 Teaspoon Abbreviation oz tbsp tsp Metric

Apothecary Measures • Obsolete and should not be used Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage

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International Units • Measure drug’s action – Not weight • Not abbreviated • Previously accepted abbreviation (U) on Joint Commission (JC) “Do Not Use” list Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

International Units • Written using Arabic numbers followed by space and word “unit” • Commas not used unless at least five digits • e. g. , 6 units, 1000 units, 250, 000 units Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Percentage Measurements • Used primarily in intravenous (IV) solutions • Also used in topical, ophthalmic, and otic solutions – For skin, eyes, and ears Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Percentage Measurements • In solutions, represent number of grams of drug per 100 m. L of solution – e. g. , 100 m. L of 5% solution contains 5 g of drug – e. g. , 100 m. L of 0. 9% solution contains 0. 9 g of drug Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Percentage Measurements • Dextrose and sodium chloride – Most common percentage dosages – Dextrose dosages written as whole number • e. g. , 5% dextrose in water (D 5 W) – Sodium chloride dosages written as decimal fraction • e. g. , 0. 45% sodium chloride Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

m. Eq Dosages • Written using Arabic numbers followed by space and abbreviation m. Eq • Used in variety of oral and IV solutions – e. g. , potassium chloride most commonly used • 20 milliequivalents written as 20 m. Eq KCl Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Percentage and m. Eq Measures • Solutions with combination of percentage and m. Eq measures – e. g. , 5% dextrose in water with 0. 45% sodium chloride and 20 milliequivalents of potassium chloride written as 20 m. Eq KCl in D 5%/0. 45% Na. Cl Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Ratio Measures • Strengths primarily used to describe solutions • Written using Arabic numbers followed by space, colon, space, and another Arabic number Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Ratio Measures • Ratio strengths represent parts of drug per parts of solution • Less solution drug is dissolved in, stronger the solution • Solution of 1 : 100 contains one part drug to 100 parts solution Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Household Measures • One of the oldest drug measurement systems • Volume measurements include ounce, tablespoon, teaspoon, dram, and drop – Volume of drop depends on size of dropper being used Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Household Measures • Drop is integral part of small volume medication preparation – Including those for eye, ear, and nose • Drop used almost exclusively with medications with attached dropper Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.