Common Units of Pharmacology Measurement
In your healthcare career you will need to convert units of measurement on a constant basis. For example, you may need to convert a newborn's weight in pounds to their weight in kilograms in order to calculate a medication dose appropriate for their size, or convert from ounces to grams etc... Pharmacology math requires the healthcare professional to know several systems of measurement (metric, household, apothecary, and avoirdupois) and how to convert within those systems of measurement. Below are some common conversion factors and quick tools to help you:
Common Pharmacology Abbreviations
| c = cup | gt = drop | ml = milliliter |
| cc = cubic centimeters | gtt = drops | mm = millimeter |
| cm = centimeters | in = inches | oz = ounce |
| dr = drams | kg = kilograms | pt = pint |
| dss = 2 teaspoons | L = liter | qt = quart |
| ft = foot | lb = pound | tbsp = tablespoon |
| g = grams | m = meter | tsp = teaspoon |
| gal = gallon | mcg = microgram | u = unit |
| gl = glass | mEq = milliquivalents | |
| gr = grains | mg = milligrams |
Understanding Metric Prefixes
Prefixes are short names and letter symbols for numbers that are is attached to the front of a unit, without a space, to increase or decrease its size by some factor of 10. Below are some of the more commonly used units you will use in your practice. It will be easier to understand the conversion factors that follow once you know the meanings of the prefixes:
Metric Prefix |
Numerical Value |
U.S. Name |
| giga | 1000000000 | billion |
| mega | 1000000 | million |
| kilo | 1000 | thousand |
| hecto | 100 | hundred |
| deka | 10 | ten |
1 |
One |
|
| deci | 0.1 | tenth |
| centi | 0.01 | hundredth |
| milli | 0.001 | thousandth |
| micro | 0.000001 | millionth |
| nano | 0.000000001 | billionth |
Common Conversion Factors
| 1 kilogram (kg) | 2.2 pounds (lb) |
| 1 pound (lb) | 454 grams (g or gm) |
| 1 kilogram (kg) | 1000 grams (g or gm) |
| 1 gram (g or gm) | 1000 milligrams (mg) |
| 1 milligram (mg) | 1000 micrograms (mcg) |
| 1 gram (gm) | 1 ml (milliliter) (ml) |
| 1 cc (cubic centimeter) | 1 ml (milliliter) |
| 1 inch (in) | 2.54 centimeters (cm) |
| 1 grain (gr) | 60 mg (milligrams) |
| 1 cup | 240 ml (milliliter) |
| 8 ounces (oz) | 1 cup |
| 16 ounces (oz) | 1 pint (pt) |
| 1 ounce (oz) | 30 milliliter |
| 1 teaspoon (tsp) | 5 milliliter |
| 1 dram | 4 milliliter |
| 1 tablespoon ( T or tbs) | 15 milliliter (ml) |
| 2 tablespoons (T or tbs) | 1 Ounce |
| 3 teaspoons (tsp) | 1 tablespoon ( T or tbs) |
| 1 teaspoon (tsp) | 75 gtt (drops) |
| 1 milliliter (ml) | 16 minims |
| 1 milliliter (ml) | 15 drops (gtt) |
| 1 liter (L) | 1000 ml (milliliter) |
| 37.0 ° C (Centigrade degrees) | 98.6° F (Fahrenheit degrees) |
Length Converter Tool 1 select a length unit from the "From" dropdown list & one from the "To" dropdown list.
|
Featured Articles
