[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) › Medications and dose calculation # Medications and dose calculation The rights of medication administration, the oral, IM, SC, ID and IV routes, dose and drip-rate calculation with worked examples, and high-alert medications. 16 pages ## Calculation - [**Continuous infusions: concentration and rate per kilogram per minute** For continuous infusions, work out the concentration of the mixture and convert the ordered dose…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/continuous-infusions-concentration-and-rate-per-kilogram-per-minute/) - [**Dose calculation: the formula method and dimensional analysis** To know how many tablets or millilitres to give, divide the ordered dose by the available…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/dose-calculation-the-formula-method-and-dimensional-analysis/) - [**IV flow rates: millilitres per hour and drops per minute** With a pump the rate is set in mL/h; with a gravity set, drops per minute are counted using the…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/iv-flow-rates-millilitres-per-hour-and-drops-per-minute/) - [**Weight-based doses (per kilogram) and paediatric safety** Many doses, especially in children, are ordered per kilogram: multiply by the actual weight and…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/weight-based-doses-and-paediatric-safety/) ## Procedure - [**Continuous subcutaneous infusion and hypodermoclysis** Fluids or some medicines run slowly into the tissue under the skin through a small cannula when…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/continuous-subcutaneous-infusion-and-hypodermoclysis/) - [**Giving IV medications: bolus and intermittent infusion** Given intravenously, a drug acts within minutes; so compatibility, the patency of the line and…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/giving-iv-medications-bolus-and-intermittent-infusion/) - [**Giving oral medications (and through a feeding tube)** How to give medications by mouth or through a feeding tube safely: what may be crushed, how to…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/giving-oral-medications/) - [**Intradermal injection** An intradermal injection leaves a tiny amount just under the epidermis and raises a bleb; it is…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/intradermal-injection/) - [**Intramuscular injection: sites and technique** An intramuscular injection places the drug in a muscle; the site is found with bony landmarks so…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/intramuscular-injection-sites-and-technique/) - [**Other routes: inhaled, topical, eye, ear, rectal and vaginal** Each route has its own technique: where the drop goes, how to breathe with an inhaler, or how…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/other-routes-inhaled-topical-eye-ear-rectal-and-vaginal/) - [**Preparing parenteral medication: ampoules, vials and reconstitution** How to draw up a drug from a glass ampoule or a vial with aseptic technique, and how to…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/preparing-parenteral-medication-ampoules-vials-and-reconstitution/) - [**Subcutaneous injection** A subcutaneous injection places the drug in the fat under the skin, where it is absorbed slowly…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/subcutaneous-injection/) ## Safe practice - [**High-alert medications** These are drugs with a higher risk of serious harm when used in error; they need extra barriers…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/high-alert-medications/) - [**Medication reconciliation** Reconciliation means comparing the medications the patient took at home with those ordered on…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/medication-reconciliation/) - [**Patient-controlled and epidural analgesia: the nursing checks** A pump gives pain medicine on demand or through an epidural catheter; the nurse double-checks…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/patient-controlled-and-epidural-analgesia-the-nursing-checks/) - [**The rights of medication administration** The rights are checks made before every medication to prevent errors: right patient, drug, dose…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/the-rights-of-medication-administration/) ## A to Z - [A](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/a/) - [B](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/b/) - [C](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/c/) - [D](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/d/) - [E](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/e/) - [F](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/f/) - [G](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/g/) - [H](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/h/) - [I](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/i/) - [J](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/j/) - [K](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/k/) - [L](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/l/) - [M](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/m/) - [N](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/n/) - [O](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/o/) - [P](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/p/) - [Q](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/q/) - [R](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/r/) - [S](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/s/) - [T](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/t/) - [U](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/u/) - [V](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/v/) - [W](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/w/) - [Y](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/y/) [← Nursing: fundamentals and procedures](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order. Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/medication/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/medication/