Lesson 1: Introduction to Medical Math

Healthcare employees require knowledge and proficiency in multiple mathematical concepts including

Use of the Metric System
Basic Math Skills - Adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing
Converting decimals, fractions, percentages, and Ratios

The Familiar and Not So Familiar: Systems of Measurement

Various systems of measurement are used in healthcare. Each system uses its own terminology to define distance, capacity, and mass. We will explore two of the three systems in this course.

Household Measurement System

This is the system that is most familiar to you as a citizen of the United States.

Measurement System
Measurement	Terminology	Equivalents
Distance Length	Inch, Foot, Yard, Mile	12 in = 1 foot 3 ft = 1 yard 1760 yards = 1 mile
Capacity Volume	Drop (gtt), Teaspoon, ounce, cup, pint, quart, gallon	60 gtt = 1 tsp 3 tsp = 1 tbsp 2 tbsp = 1 oz 8 oz = 1 cup 2 cups = 1 pint 2 pints = 1 quart 4 quarts = gallon
Mass Weight	Ounce, pound	16 ounces = 1 pound

Metric System

This system is more accurate than the household system and is the standard measuring system for healthcare worldwide. The metric system is based on multiples of 10s. Let's take a look at the terminology. Much like medical terminology, this system is defined by prefixes meaning attached to a base unit.

Base Units/Whole Units of Measurement

Distance/Length: Meter
Capacity/Volume: Liter
Mass/Weight: Gram

Measurement Prefixes
Prefix	Value	Example
Kilo-	1,000	1 Kilogram = 1000 grams
Hecto-	100	1 Hectometer = 100 meters
Deca-	10	1 Decaliter = 10 liters
Deci-	1/10 or 0.1	1 decigram = 1/10 of a gram
Centi-	1/100 or 0.01	1 centimeter = 1/100 of a meter
Milli-	1/1,000 or 0.001	1 milligram = 1/1,000 of a gram
Micro-	1/1,000,000 or 0.000001	1 microgram = 1/1,000,000 of a gram

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