"AS A PHARMACIST MATHS IS ESSENTIAL BECAUSE AN INCORRECT CALCULATION COULD COST A PATIENT THEIR LIFE - IT IS THAT IMPORTANT!"

I work as a community pharmacist. On a daily basis I receive and dispense NHS and private prescriptions and counsel the public on their medication and health issues.

Maths is essential part of everyday working practices. When presented with a prescription there are a number of calculations that may have to be performed for example, diluting a cream to a factor of 50% or working out the dose of a tablet prescribed as 5mg per kg of body weight. Or you may need to calculate reduced doses for patients with kidney or liver problems.

On the business side of pharmacy, maths is used in a wide range of tasks from calculating the cost of a private prescription to monitoring business performance.