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Chapter 8

Medication Administration

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Objectives

• There are no 1985 objectives for this chapter.

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Medication Administration

• Understanding a medication’s effects on the body prior to its administration is essential.

• Basic math skills are needed to calculate dosages.• Dosages and rate calculations are an area of common

confusion, but are skills that must be performed quickly and accurately.

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Mathematical Principles Used in Pharmacology

• Metric system– Based on multiples of 10– Used to measure length, volume, and weight– Represented as: meter (m), liter (L) and gram (g)– Commonly used prefixes: micro, milli, centi, and kilo

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Weight and Volume Conversion

• Weight conversion– Multiply or divide by 1,000 or move the decimal point

3 places to the right or left– Convert 2 g to mg

• Volume conversion– Two measurements of volume in the prehospital

setting: milliliters and liters– Same as converting weights

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Converting Pounds to Kilograms

• Necessary to know the patient’s weight in kg for administration of some drugs.

• Formula for converting pounds to kilograms:– Divide the patient’s weight in pounds by 2.2– Divide the patient’s weight in pounds by 2 and

subtract 10%

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The Apothecary System

• Formerly used by physicians and pharmacists.• Based on 480 gr to 1 oz and 16 oz to 1 lb.• Grain is basic unit of weight = drop of water.• Additional units of volume: pint, quart, and gallon.• Fractions are used in this system.

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Fahrenheit and Celsius Scales

• Commonly used to measure temperature.• Celsius scale

– Water freezes at 0° and boils at 100°• Fahrenheit scale

– Water freezes at 32° and boils at 212°• Converting Fahrenheit to Celsius

– °C = (°F – 32) x 5 ÷ 9

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Medical Direction

• Medication administration is governed by:– Local protocols and/or online medical direction– Local policies and procedures– Medical control may allow medication administration

when the patient meets criteria• Patient with a cardiac hx experiencing chest pain, and has a

systolic BP of at least 90 mm Hg.• EMT-I may administer NTG up to 3 times as long as BP

remains adequate.