What ratios are commonly used in medicine and what are they used to indicate?

Answer 1

Ratios and Proportions Used in Medicine


Nurses are advised to use use ratios and proportions when administering medication. Nurses need to know how much medicine a patient needs depending on their weight. Nurses need to be able to understand the doctor’s orders. Such an order may be given as: 25 mcg/kg/min. If the patient weighs 52kg, how many milligrams should the patient receive in one hour? In order to do this, nurses must convert micrograms (mcg) to milligrams (mg). If 1mcg = 0.001mg, we can find the amount (in mg) of 25mcg by setting up a proportion.



By cross-multiplying and dividing, we see that 25mcg = 0.025mg. If the patient weighs 52kg, then the patient receives 0.025(52) = 1.3mg per minute. There are 60 minutes in an hour, so in one hour the patient should receive 1.3(60) = 78mg. Nurses use ratios and proportions daily, as well as converting important units. They have special “shortcuts” they use to do this math accurately and efficiently in a short amount of time.


Physicians themselves advise nurses and patients to watch the height weight ratios,muscle mass fat mass ratio,
Albumin globulin ratio. glycemic index, erythrocyte sedimentation rate etc.