RN Nursing · Medication Administration and Dosage Calculations · Practice question
Your patient weighs 132 pounds. How much does your patient weigh in kilograms? Round to the nearest whole number.
Answer & explanation
Correct:
Converting pounds to kilograms requires dividing the weight in pounds by 2.2, which is the standard conversion factor used in clinical practice. The patient weighs 132 pounds, so the calculation is 132 ÷ 2.2 = 60 kg exactly. This conversion is fundamental in nursing because medication doses — particularly for weight-based drugs such as heparin, chemotherapy agents, and pediatric medications — are calculated per kilogram of body weight. Using the incorrect unit can lead to serious dosing errors. It is important to remember that 1 kilogram equals approximately 2.2 pounds, so moving from pounds to kilograms always involves dividing by 2.2 (or equivalently multiplying by 0.4545). In this case, 132 ÷ 2.2 = 60 with no rounding needed. A common student error is to multiply rather than divide, which would give 290.4 — far outside the physiological range. Another error is using 2.0 as the conversion factor, which would yield 66 kg and lead to medication overdose. The keyed answer of 60 kg is confirmed as correct.
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