Flow Rate Calculator Nursing

This calculator helps nursing professionals determine the correct infusion rate for intravenous (IV) medications and fluids. Accurately calculating flow rates is crucial for patient safety and effective treatment. The formula used is:

Flow Rate (mL/hr) = Total Volume (mL) / Time (hr)

Alternatively, if the time is given in minutes:

Flow Rate (mL/hr) = (Total Volume (mL) / Time (min)) * 60

This calculator also considers the drip factor of the IV tubing, which is the number of drops that equal one milliliter (gtts/mL). While the primary output is in mL/hr, understanding the drip rate (gtts/min) can also be helpful in manual setups.

Drip Rate (gtts/min) = (Total Volume (mL) / Time (min))

function calculateFlowRate() { var volume = parseFloat(document.getElementById("volume").value); var time = parseFloat(document.getElementById("time").value); var dripFactor = parseFloat(document.getElementById("dripFactor").value); var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result"); resultDiv.innerHTML = ""; // Clear previous results if (isNaN(volume) || isNaN(time) || isNaN(dripFactor)) { resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid numbers for all fields."; return; } if (volume <= 0 || time <= 0 || dripFactor <= 0) { resultDiv.innerHTML = "Volume, time, and drip factor must be positive values."; return; } // Calculate flow rate in mL/hr var flowRate_mL_hr = volume / time; // Calculate drip rate in gtts/min var timeInMinutes = time * 60; var dripRate_gtts_min = (volume / timeInMinutes) * dripFactor; resultDiv.innerHTML = "

Results:

" + "Infusion Rate: " + flowRate_mL_hr.toFixed(2) + " mL/hr" + "Drip Rate: " + dripRate_gtts_min.toFixed(2) + " drops/min"; }