Practical Nursing Calculations

Book excerpt: Worried about getting the dose wrong? Don't know your fractions from your decimals? You're not alone! Many people are not comfortable with their mathematical abilities but for most it's not a life or death situation. For nurses, however, a 'bad maths day' can have catastrophic consequences if drug dosages are calculated incorrectly. Practical Nursing Calculations provides easy to understand explanations of key calculations. The many exercises offer opportunities to practise basic problem-solving to help build your confidence. The use of real-life situations demonstrates how maths is actually applied when working with patients. Realistic scenarios introduce common presenting illnesses and the medications used to treat them, and enables you to calculate their correct dosages. This book has been developed to assist you to gain competency in basic mathematical skills and problem-solving techniques which require applied or conceptual mathematics. Practical Nursing Calculations has emerged from actual classroom curriculum and ten years of teaching in a major nursing school. Easy to use, Practical Nursing Calculations provides you with a thorough grounding in the fundamentals of mathematics and a sense of how to apply your knowledge in your professional lives. A sound teaching and learning resource, this book is appropriate for self-directed learning or as a classroom guide. This text is accompanied by a password-accessed website with extra exercises and quizzes. www.allenandunwin/nursing