Which Ratio Do You Assume?

Hey there 👋🏻

A few weeks ago, I ran a survey.

Questions like this always intrigue me. Part of me wants to know what others are doing, and the other part wants to highlight how differently we approach ratios.

To my surprise, the majority picked 1.5 : 30. I know, I know... it was a small survey. But the result still told us something:

• We all prefer different ratios.

• The 2 : 25 ratio is newer, but that doesn’t stop some from sticking with 1.5 : 30.

• Some of us just go with the online calculators.

And here’s the thing, if online opioid calculators are your go to, you’re assuming a default ratio whether you realize it or not. Could be 1.5 : 30, 2 : 25, or something else.

So let’s take a look at what’s out there for IV Dilaudid to PO morphine:

• Global RPh = 1.5 : 30

• eviQ = 1 : 15

• ClinCalc = 1.5 : 30

• PharmacyJoe = 1.5 : 30

When it comes to opioid dosing, you’ll hear things like:

“It all depends.”

“It’s highly patient specific.”

That really translates to—

"there’s the conversion ratio preference, cross tolerance, your own experience with dosing, how the patient looks, and so much more."

PS: Hey! If you’re reading up to this point, thank you. If there’s something you’d love to hear more about, let us know in the comments.

See you next time,

SP