Measurements in Med Orders

Med orders are written in metric terms. Solid and liquid measures in the metric system and their equivalents.

Liquid doses, medicine cups, and syringes

When ur preparing liquid doses, a knowledge of apothecary and household equivalents will help u pour exact amounts. Medicine cups are marked in metric, apothecary, & household measures; syringes are marked in metric & apothecary lines.

These are the solid measures in the metric system

Measures of Weight & their Abbreviations

and their abbreviations:Gram: g or gmMilligram: mgMicrogram: mcg (µg, which uses the Greek letter mu [µ], is no longer accepted by The Joint Commission for its approved abbreviation list)Kilogram: kg

1 g = 1000 mg1 mg = 1000 mcgAs you can see, the gram is the largest of these.To equal the weight of a single gram, you need 1000 mg.To equal the weight of a single milligram, you need 1000 mcg. g > mg > mcg

Meaning of this symbol: " > "

The symbol >, which means “greater than”

Meaning of this symbol: " < "

The symbol <, which means “less than”

Converting Solid Equivalents

If the available supply is not in the same weight measure as the medication order, you will have to calculate how much of a drug to give.

RULE CHANGING GRAMS TO MILLIGRAMS

To multiply by 1000, move the decimal point three places to the right.

RULE CHANGING MILLIGRAMS TO GRAMS

To divide by 1000, move the decimal point three places to the left.

RULE CHANGING MILLIGRAMS TO MICROGRAMS

The second major weight equivalent in the metric system is 1 mg = 1000 mcg.To multiply by 1000, move the decimal point three places to the right.

Purpose of orders being written in MICROGRAMS

Some medications are so powerful that smaller microgram doses are sufficient to produce a therapeutic effect. Rather than using milligrams written as decimals, it's easier to write orders in micrograms as whole numbers.

RULE CHANGING MICROGRAMS TO MILLIGRAMS

To divide by 1000, move the decimal point three places to the left.

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Med.Measurements

Metric, Apothecary, and Household Systems of Measurement

Question	Answer
Measurements in Med Orders	Med orders are written in metric terms. Solid and liquid measures in the metric system and their equivalents.
Liquid doses, medicine cups, and syringes	When ur preparing liquid doses, a knowledge of apothecary and household equivalents will help u pour exact amounts. Medicine cups are marked in metric, apothecary, & household measures; syringes are marked in metric & apothecary lines.
Measures of Weight	These are the solid measures in the metric system
Measures of Weight & their Abbreviations	and their abbreviations:Gram: g or gmMilligram: mgMicrogram: mcg (µg, which uses the Greek letter mu [µ], is no longer accepted by The Joint Commission for its approved abbreviation list)Kilogram: kg
Weight Equivalents	1 g = 1000 mg1 mg = 1000 mcgAs you can see, the gram is the largest of these.To equal the weight of a single gram, you need 1000 mg.To equal the weight of a single milligram, you need 1000 mcg. g > mg > mcg
Meaning of this symbol: " > "	The symbol >, which means “greater than”
Meaning of this symbol: " < "	The symbol <, which means “less than”
Converting Solid Equivalents	If the available supply is not in the same weight measure as the medication order, you will have to calculate how much of a drug to give.
RULE CHANGING GRAMS TO MILLIGRAMS	To multiply by 1000, move the decimal point three places to the right.
RULE CHANGING MILLIGRAMS TO GRAMS	To divide by 1000, move the decimal point three places to the left.
RULE CHANGING MILLIGRAMS TO MICROGRAMS	The second major weight equivalent in the metric system is 1 mg = 1000 mcg.To multiply by 1000, move the decimal point three places to the right.
Purpose of orders being written in MICROGRAMS	Some medications are so powerful that smaller microgram doses are sufficient to produce a therapeutic effect. Rather than using milligrams written as decimals, it's easier to write orders in micrograms as whole numbers.
RULE CHANGING MICROGRAMS TO MILLIGRAMS	To divide by 1000, move the decimal point three places to the left.

Created by: nicole4rc

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