1 credit
Fall 2026 Lecture
Mastery of pharmaceutical calculation skills is vital and PHRM 83400 prepares students to apply calculation problem solving skills to clinical practice. PHRM 83400 prepares students to perform pharmaceutical calculations necessary for prescription/drug order preparation, compounding dosage forms, and medication dosage calculations based on patient specific factors. Pharmacists must perform error-free pharmaceutical calculations. Correct calculations contribute as much to pharmaceutical care as the newest methods/guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The development of problem solving skills with pharmaceutical calculations is an important component of this course. In addition, practice and repetition of problems is necessary to develop confidence as well as accuracy. Appropriate documentation of work/set up and numerical answers (including units) is required. Approaches to minimize errors and maximize accuracy with pharmaceutical calculations are emphasized.
Learning Outcomes1Describe the role of pharmaceutical calculations in the provision of pharmaceutical care.
2Perform accurate/error-free pharmaceutical calculations in an organized, clear, and appropriately documented format.
3Express numerical answers in a clear manner which includes units and appropriate use of zeros with decimal points.
4Interpret abbreviations and professional nomenclature in prescriptions/drug orders.
5List the equivalents/conversion factors for the systems of measurement used in pharmacy (i.e., metric, apothecary, avoirdupois, and household).
6Convert from one unit to another between and within the various systems of measurement used in pharmacy.
7Calculate quantities of ingredients necessary to reduce or enlarge a pharmaceutical formula.
8Define and appropriately utilize specific gravity in pharmaceutical calculations.
9Define and perform pharmaceutical calculations using various expressions of concentration [i.e., percentage (i.e., W/V, V/V, W/W), ratio strength, milligram percent, parts per million] used in pharmacy.
10Calculate a patient's body surface area (BSA) utilizing a nomogram and/or BSA formula and apply in dose determinations.
11Calculate ideal body weight (IBW) and estimated creatinine clearance (CrCl) rates and apply in dose determinations.
12Calculate body mass index (BMI) from a standard formula.
13Calculate appropriate medication dosages based on patient specific factors.
14Calculate admixed intravenous (IV) solution quantities/volumes.
15Calculate intravenous (IV) solution flow rate.
16Perform the calculations necessary to prepare isotonic compounded solutions.
17Perform calculations for the preparation and use of stock solutions.
18Perform calculations for altering product strength by dilution or concentration.
19Solve problems associated with compounding in contemporary practice.
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.