Now in its second edition, Understanding Pharmacy Calculations attempts to provide a more simplistic approach to the calculations pharmacists use in daily practice. The authors suggest the book can be used as a self-study, having written it in such a way as to make the material more understandable and approachable to the pharmacy student. The first chapter, entitled “Things You’ll Use Everyday,” is an example of the author’s use of casual phrasing and terminology aimed at communicating a more practical approach to students in this workbook-style text.
The content appears to be well presented. Although divided into only 5 chapters, each chapter contains multiple topics and devotes less time to basic math concepts that the student should already understand. All of the critical concepts related to pharmacy calculations are presented: conversions, measurement, prescription reading, expressions of drug concentration, dilution, isotonicity, osmolarity, patient-specific dosing, and parenteral nutrition. The difference is noted in the emphasis on topics. The authors devoted 1 of the only 5 chapters in the text exclusively to parenteral nutrition. Numerous total parenteral nutrition practice worksheets are included, which are practical tools for students and educators alike in effectively understanding this topic.
The book also employs a good use of practice problems appropriately placed at the conclusion of each chapter. Problems are provided in either multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank format, and the answers, complete with a detailed explanation of the solution, are provided immediately following the problem set. The authors also typically use dimensional analysis when solving such problems, with clear units and problem layouts displayed. The authors should be commended for including such detailed answers. This is a useful tool for the student and one that is not provided in all texts on this subject matter. Given the space these answer explanations occupy, a limited but adequate number of problems is provided in each chapter. To supplement those, an additional 100 practice problems are provided in a similar format in practice tests located in the final pages of the text.
Overall, the book can be used as a practical textbook or self-study for a pharmacy calculations course as well as for student’s preparation for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination. The numerous examples and worksheets provided with detailed answers make this workbook style text a welcome addition to the library of any instructor of pharmacy calculations or laboratory based courses that include parenteral nutrition.