I need help on a math problem!! Not making sense to me

Published

Aspirin is available in 5 grain tablet. The physician orders aspirin 300mg. How many tablets would you give?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PICU.

You will first need to figure out the conversion from grain to mg, then you can do the problem. Show us the work that you have, take stab and then we can correct any mistake

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Well 5 grain is equal to 323.995mg. That's where I am stuck. You can't give a fraction of a tablet lol

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

Here...a quick internet search found this link and many others but I hope this helps...

http://www.germanna.edu/wp-content/uploads/tutoring/handouts/HowtoSolveDrugDosageProblemsAugust2012.pdf

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics.

Call the doctor for an easier order? lol I'm just kidding :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Call the doctor for an easier order? lol I'm just kidding :)

Yes, that would be the real world answer. That, or ask pharmacy WTF they're stocking medications in grains, unless they're actually an old timey apothecary.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I asked about this to my professor and the answer was round up to the common dose. ASA 325mg. also a grain is actually 64.7989mg yet you will see it listed as 60, or 65mg for calculation purposes so it's an old and not very accurate measurement unless the drug is provided in grains.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
Yes, that would be the real world answer. That, or ask pharmacy WTF they're stocking medications in grains, unless they're actually an old timey apothecary.

Oh man, I do not miss dosage calculations. But Klone is spot on...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ugh, just reading this made me cringe! We had one ancient doc that ordered EVERYTHING in grains. He would refuse to change the orders and said that "real doctors only use grains". He and pharmacy butted-heads daily. SMH. He should have been retired many, many years earlier, but was finally forced to retire when he ran over a sign in the parking lot, parked on the grass, and was pants-less...dementia is a beast...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pharmacy, Mathematics, Physics, and Educator.

Grains need to go away like minims and scruples.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Aspirin is available in 5 grain tablet. The physician orders aspirin 300mg. How many tablets would you give?

The way I learned it:

1gr= 60mg or 65mg

so..

A) i (1/2) grain = 30 mg or 32.5mg

(60 x 1/2 = 30, 65 x 1/2 = 32.5)

B) V (5) grains = 300mg, or 325mg

(60 x 5 = 300mg, 65 x 5 = 325mg)

C) X (10) grains = 600mg or 650mg

(60 x 10 = 600mg, 65x10 = 650mg)

know your roman numerals. i, V, X..That is where you can get thrown off..grain questions are used with aspirin and tylenol alot, notice that tylenol usually comes in 325mg or 650mg tablets. Often they are 1 or 2 tablets. In your case, I believe the answer is 1 tablet (i.e. one 5 gr tablet is 300mg)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Public Health, TB.

I miss grains, a little. We used to use it for ASA gr X, APAP gr X, pentobarbital gr V (I think) , and nitro gr 1/150.

Dang, i'm old!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion