Whole Numbers

Whole numbers are the counting numbers including zero: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... <<<<<<< HEAD In nursing, whole numbers can represent the number of tablets, number of ======= In nursing, whole numbers can represent quantities like the number of tablets, number of

e5bced8 (update content) doses, days of treatment, and more.

Operations Review

Addition and Subtraction

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e5bced8 (update content) Clinical example: A patient receives 2 tablets in the morning, 1 at noon, and 2 at night. How many tablets per day?

\[2 + 1 + 2 = 5 \text{ tablets per day}\]

Multiplication

Clinical example: A patient takes 3 tablets per dose, 4 times daily, for 7 days. How many tablets are needed total?

\[3 \times 4 \times 7 = 84 \text{ tablets}\]

Division

Clinical example: A bottle contains 100 tablets. A patient takes 4 per day. How many days will the bottle last?

\[100 \div 4 = 25 \text{ days}\]

Practice Problems

Problem 1

A nurse administers 2 tablets per dose, 3 times a day, for 5 days. How many tablets are needed in total?

Answer

\[2 \times 3 \times 5 = 30 \text{ tablets}\]

Problem 2

A patient needs 4 doses of a medication per day. How many doses over 10 days?

Answer

\[4 \times 10 = 40 \text{ doses}\]

Problem 3

A ward has 120 tablets in stock. Each patient requires 3 tablets per day. How many patients can be supplied for one day?

Answer

\[120 \div 3 = 40 \text{ patients}\]

Clinical Tip

Always double check your arithmetic when calculating medication quantities. A simple multiplication error can lead to a serious medication error.