Medication Math / Dosage Unit 1

Parts of an Order

• Patient Name

• Medication Name

• Dose

• Route

• Frequency

• Prescriber Signature

Trade Name

Name assigned to medication by manufacturer; identified by an encircled R as a superscript following the tradename

• Ex. Tylenol

Generic Name

Official name used for a drug by all companies that produce it

• Ex. Acetaminophen

Drug Form

The composition of a drug; liquid, solid, powder

Special Formulation

Indicates whether the medication can be split, crushed, or altered.

• Ex. XR, DR, ER, CR

Unit Dose Strength or Unit Dose Concentration

The amount of medication per unit dose (specific volume or quantity

• Ex. 250mg/mL

Quantity

The total amount of tablets, mL, etc. within the container

Expiration Date

Date after which medication should not be used

Storage Instructions

Instructions to maintain medication stability such as refrigerate, protect from light,

etc.

Special Alerts

Ex: High alert medication, must be diluted prior to use, etc.

Oral

PO; By mouth

Buccal

buc; Between gums and inner lining of the cheek

Sublingual

SL; Under the tongue

Intradermal

ID; Into the top layers of the skin (demis)

Subcutaneous

SUBQ; Into the subcutaneous tissue

Intramuscular

IM; Directly into a muscle

Intravenous

IV; Directly into a vein

Inhalation

Inhaled through the mouth or nose into the respiratory tract for absorption

Intranasal

Through the nasal mucosa

Intra-Auricular

OTIC; Into the ear

Intravaginal

Into the vagina

Rectal

(PR); into the rectum

Topical

Applied directly to the surfaces of the body or mucosa membrane

Ophthalmic

Applies to lower lid of the eye

Transdermal Patches

Applied to the skin surface

Daily

Once per day

BID

Twice Daily

TID

Three Times Daily

QID

Four Times Daily

q4h

Every four hours (6 times a day)

q6h

Every six hours (four times a day)

q8h

Every eight hours (three times a day)

q12h

Every 12 hours (twice a day)

PRN

As needed

STAT

Immediately

AC

Before meals

PC

After meals

HS

At bedtime