test 2 Flashcards
Metric system is based on units of what
10
units commonly used by nurses in metric system
weight (gram, kilogram)
volume (litre)
length (meter)
common abbreviations in metric km m cm mm
kilometer
meter
centimeter
millimeter
what lengths do nurses measure?
wound measurement child/adult growth development application of certain topical meds calculating BMI lifting and transferring patients (choosing correct equipment)
converting 3.6 m to cm
360 cm
0.8 m to mm
800 mm
to convert km to m
multiply by 1000
convert m to mm
multiply by 100
convert cm to mm
multiply by 10
convert m to cm
multiply by 100
to convert m to km
divide by 1000
convert mm to m
divide by 1000
convert mm to cm
divide by 10
convert cm to m
divide by 100
35 mm to m
0.035 m
1000 m to km
1 km
12 mm to cm
1.2 cm
146 cm to m
1.46 m
L =
litre
dL
deciliter
cL
centiliter
mL
mililiter
what liquids do nurses measure
liquid meds
intravenous therapy
fluid balanced (intake/output)
wound drainage
to convert L to mL
multiply by 1000
to convert mL to L
divide by 1000
common units of weight measure used in nursing
Kg - kilogram (persons weight)
g - gram (infants weight)
mg - milligrams (many meds)
mcg - many potent meds are measured in mcg
convert from kg to g
multiply by 1000
convert from g to mg
multiply by 1000
convert from mg to mcg
multiply by 1000
1 teaspoon = mL
5 mL
1 tablespoon = mL
15 mL
1 oz = mL
30 mL
1 cup = mL
240 mL
1 quart (qt) = L
1 litre
1 kg = pounds
2.2 pounds (lb)
1 inch = cm
2.54 cm
what are international units?
are measurements internationally agreed upon to match no matter where you are in the world. promotes safety - commonly used for insulin, heparin, penicillin and vitamins
What are equivalents used for
electrolytes e.g. Na (sodium) Cl (chloride) K (potassium)
formula to convert from Fahrenheit to Celcius
(f-32) + 1.8 = C
formula to convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit
(c x 1.8) + 32 = F
IM
intramuscularly
IV
intravenously
SL
sublingual; under the tongue
ID
intradermal
SUBCUT
subcutaneously
GT
gastrostomy tube
NG
nasogastric tube
NJ
nasojejunal tube
PO
by mouth, orally
pr
per rectum, rectally
q
every
NPO
nothing by mouth (per os)
gtt
drops
tab
tablet (do not put an s even if plural)
ac
before meals
pc
after meals
ad lib
as desired, freely
prn
as required
stat
immediately, at once
BID
twice a day
TID
three times a day
QID
four times a day
min
minute
h/hr
hour
hs
bedtime
qh /qhr
every hour
q2h
every two hours
q3h
every three hours
q4h
every six hours
q8h
every eight hours
q12h
every 12 hours
do not use/ use full work for them
U for units IU for international units drug names qd or qod - everyday or every other day or od - use daily or every other day OD, OS, OU - right eye, left eye, both eyes D/C - use discharge cc - cubic centimeter - use mL ug - microgram - use mcg @ - use at > - use greater than < - use less than
be cautious about
trailing zero: x.0
lack of leading zero: .x mg
name 2 steps to estimating answers
round all numbers so that they can easily be worked in mental calculations
substitute the rounded numbers into the appropriate equation and solve mentally
dimensional analysis
identify the desired answer and write it to the left of the = sign
identify the given quantity in the problem and the desired quantity and write them to the right of the = sign
express 18 months in years years = 18 months years = 18 mths x 1 yr/12 mths years = 18/12 years = 11/2
years = 18 months
