Welcome to Drugulator

The aim of the Drugulator is to become the next-generation way drug calculations are learned and performed. It consists of a single machine interface through which students and medical professionals can perform a wide array of drug calculations in a more efficient, accurate and ultimately safer manner.

You can go straight to the Drugulator to either calculate a drug dosage or else start to learn how to use it by observing the examples linked from within its interface. Alternatively, its philosophy and more detailed instructions can be found in the User Manual. Also on this site is the underlying mathematical algorithm, the rationale and background behind its invention, along with a list of references containing publications about the Drugulator and related issues of drug calculations in heath care. Why use the Drugulator?

• Use a single interface.
Drug calculations come in many forms but underpinning them all is a unifying principle. The Drugulator's patented interface capitalizes on this principle to make the automation of all calculations from the one interface practically realizable for the first time. Other drug calculators use a distinct interface for each calculation which means that a user has to first find the relevant interface (assuming it even exists) for their current calculation. This quickly become impractical with an increasing number of different calculations.
• Specify the dosage ordered and delivery parameters and the right dose can be immediately displayed.
No longer do any arithmetical expressions (or unit conversions) have to be formed or manipulated by hand or calculator in order to reach the correct dosage.
• Be more accurate, more efficient, more often.
The Drugulator has been demonstrated to reduce both the time taken and error rates for dosage calculations compared with the traditional method of pen/paper and/or calculators.
• Learn from its built-in pedagogy. Developed and trialled from within a University environment, each of the Drugulator's features has been carefully designed and tested to promote understanding behind the mathematics of each calculation. Some of these features include:
  • A comprehensive manual and competency testing.
  • Examples accessible from the interface itself for a quick refresher course.
  • An option to include associated Formulae that smooth the transition from the old formulaic approach towards this new paradigm.
  • Transparency in the presentation and dynamic formation of mathematical expressions associated with each computed answer.
  • An option to receive English and graphical explanations for each mathematical step.
• Peace of mind from a final safety check. The rationale and pedagogical/technological underpinning the Drugulator is to, in the first instance, remove Drug Calculation error as a factor in any Adverse Drug Event. The Drugulator however also contains a further layer of safety through its connection to an extensive pharmacopoeia. By initially specifying the name of any administered drug this pharmacopoeia is consulted and an alert generated for any dosages detected outside acceptable limits.
• Learn to drive the technology that will drive your workplace. Although developed as a stand-alone learning aid, the Drugulator's extensibility and potential for reducing Adverse Drug Events in the clinical setting has been recognized. Hence development is currently underway to transform the interface into a medical device that is integrated with the latest medical information systems. Therefore, learning how to use the Drugulator may also equip you with the skills to work in leading technologically-advanced medical environments.