.5mg or 0.5mg. Where prescriptive rules count.
Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:10 pm
"Please don't sleep through this wake-up call.
ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Acute Care Edition. May 2, 2001.
This is an alert from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices informing readers of a fatal medication error that occurred because of a misinterpreted decimal point. The error involved administration of morphine to a 9-month-old infant who received 5 mg instead of 0.5 mg of the drug. The order did not include a zero before the decimal point, and the nurse filling the order overlooked the omission. The child suffered a cardiac arrest and died. The case illustrates the importance of clearly communicating information about medications."
A tragic story, but would you have written 0.5mg or just .5mg? If nonnative student asked you which was "correct" if written, what would you say?
http://psnet.ahrq.gov/resource.aspx?resourceID=1501
ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Acute Care Edition. May 2, 2001.
This is an alert from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices informing readers of a fatal medication error that occurred because of a misinterpreted decimal point. The error involved administration of morphine to a 9-month-old infant who received 5 mg instead of 0.5 mg of the drug. The order did not include a zero before the decimal point, and the nurse filling the order overlooked the omission. The child suffered a cardiac arrest and died. The case illustrates the importance of clearly communicating information about medications."
A tragic story, but would you have written 0.5mg or just .5mg? If nonnative student asked you which was "correct" if written, what would you say?
http://psnet.ahrq.gov/resource.aspx?resourceID=1501