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Day Supply Formula:
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Day supply refers to the number of days a medication will last based on the total quantity dispensed and the prescribed daily dosage. It's a critical calculation in pharmacy practice for medication management and insurance billing.
The calculator uses the day supply formula:
Where:
Explanation: This simple division calculates how many days a medication supply will last based on the prescribed daily dosage.
Details: Accurate day supply calculation is essential for proper medication adherence monitoring, insurance claim processing, refill timing, and preventing medication shortages or overstocking.
Tips: Enter the total quantity of medication dispensed and the prescribed daily dosage. Both values must be positive numbers with the daily dose greater than zero.
Q1: What units should I use for the calculation?
A: Use consistent units for both total quantity and daily dose (e.g., tablets, mL, mg). The calculator will output days supply regardless of the specific units used.
Q2: How do I calculate for PRN (as needed) medications?
A: For PRN medications, use the maximum expected daily usage rather than a fixed daily dose to calculate the conservative day supply.
Q3: What about medications with different dosing schedules?
A: For medications with multiple doses per day, calculate the total daily dose by multiplying the dose per administration by the number of administrations per day.
Q4: How should I handle partial days?
A: Day supply is typically rounded to the nearest whole day for billing purposes, though clinical decisions might consider partial days for patient counseling.
Q5: Are there special considerations for insulin or inhalers?
A: Yes, these require special calculations based on units per mL for insulin or puffs per cartridge for inhalers, but the basic DS = TQ/DD formula still applies.