Why we learn to calculate drip rates

When I took my clinical exam for Excelsior we had to calculate a drip rate and then set the IV to flow at the correct rate via the clamp and gravity. People have told me that it was a waste to learn, no one does that anymore, it's all pumps.

My dad is in the hospital on saline and IV abx. It's all running via gravity. The only thing via pump is his NG feed.

For NS and ABX?

You are sooo funny. In fact you sounded like me at one point in time!! Here's the deal.....hospitals are now turning to plum pumps for calculations in order to avoid IV medication/drip errors. The pump will tell the nurse if an "unsafe" dosage is programmed into the pump prior to administration. However, it is still imperative that you know how to do it for the Boards and in real life! In reality, there will always be someone there to help you with a given calculation. But is important that you know HOW to do that particular calculation because it will be part of your practice at some point. Yes, Pharmacy can help you. Yes, another nurse who is more seasoned than you can help you....etc. But ultimately, you SHOULD know how to calculate so you can check things for yourself.

Here's a good example.....In the hospital you will see heparin drips all the time! It is the MD's responsibility to figure out how many units/hour that patient will receive based on the patient's diagnosis and weight. It is the pharmacy's responsibility to see that the correct amount of heparin goes into each bag for that patient. It is YOUR responsibility to see that the MD came to that dosage correctly. Did he know how much the patient weighed at the time he prescribed the drip, or did he just guess? (Yes, I said "guess"). Sometimes, doctors are as busy as nurses. Did I just say that??!! Anyway, orders are written in a hurry sometimes, and despite popular opinion.....doctors make mistakes!!! So, here's just a glimpse of why you should know how to manually calculate when necessary.

Don't fret...when in doubt just ask!

Kali, RN, MSN