safeMedicate rounding rules
body weight and BSA based calculations
liquid medicine and injection dosages are rounded to the nearest 1 decimal place (tenths) if the amount exceeds 1 mL. if the amount is less than 1 ml, the dosage is rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places (hundredths)
rounding for essential skills (word based problems)
liquid medicine and injection dosages are rounded to the nearest 1 decimal place or tenth if the amount exceeds 1 mL. if the amount is less than 1 mL, the dosage is rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places.
all calculated ml/hr infusion rates using volumetric pumps
rounded to the nearest tenth
liquid medicine and injection dosages if the amount is less than 1 mL
the dosage is rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places (hundredths)
if the amount is less than 1 milliliter, round the dosage to
the nearest hundredth, or 2 decimal places in this case, a tuberculin syringe is used to achieve the most accurate dosage ex: 0.92 requires no rounding ex 2: 0.777 is less than one, so= 0.78 mL ex 3: 0.814= 0.81 mL
rounding for bodyweight and BSA based calculations (word based problems)
liquid medicine and injection dosages are rounded to the nearest 1 decimal place (tenth) if the amount exceeds 1 ml. if the amount is less than 1 ml, the dosage is rounded to the nearest 2 d.p. IV infusion rates for crystalloid and colloid solutions, blood and blood products are expressed as ml/hour and are rounded to the nearest tenths (1 d.p.)
trailing zeros and leading zeros
3 mg dose should never be written as 3.0 mg, and a volume of 5 mL should never be written a 5.0 mL. NO TRAIL! HOWEVER, USE LEADING ZEROS to avoid floating decimal points. ex: a volume of 0.5 mL should never be written as .5 mL.
Commercial infusion pumps typically accept rates rounded to either the nearest one-tenth (0.1) of a ml/hr or one-one hundredth (0.01) of a ml per hour. For education purposes, where necessary to round calculated doses appropriately, volumetric pumps can be set to rate increments of 0.1 mL/hr.
Ex 1: Volumetric Pump 3 mL/hour= no rounding required ex 2: Volumetric pump 5.1 mL/hour= no rounding required ex 3: Volumetric pump 9.25 mL/hour= 9.3 ml/hour ex 4: Volumetric pump 33.333333 mL/hr= 33.3 mL/hour
calculating IV infusion rates for crystalloid and colloid solutions for adults
in this module, all calculated ml/hour infusion rates for adults are required to be rounded to the nearest whole number
rounding for injectable medicines therapy (word based problems)
ml/hr IV injectable medicines infusions administered via volumetric pumps should be rounded to the nearest tenth. mL/hr IV injectable medicines infusions administered via syringe pumps should be rounded to the nearest hundredths
capsule based doses
must never be split. equation answers will always be whole numbers while not recommended, it may be necessary to split scored tablets into two 0.5 (1/2) doses
calculating IV infusion rates for crystalloid and colloid solutions for children
required to be rounded to the nearest 1 decimal place (tenths)
for volumetric syringe measurements, if the volume exceeds 1 milliliter
round to nearest tenth, or 1 decimal place ex: 5 mL requires no rounding ex 2: 2.75 = 2.8 mL ex 3: 1.332 --> 1.3 mL
liquid medicine and injection dosages if the amount exceeds 1 ml
rounded to the nearest 1 decimal place or 1 d.p. (tenth) if the amount exceeds 1 ml
all calculated ml/hr infusions rates using syringe pumps
rounded to the nearest hundredths
trailing zeros (should/shouldn't) be used
should never be used 1.500 --> 1.5
