Introduction of a simple Web-based calculator for drug dosing.

The calculation of body surface area (BSA), creatinine clearance and ideal body weight (IBW) is central to accurate dosing of many drugs, especially, but not exclusively, chemotherapy. Calculations can be time consuming and may lead to random and/or systematic errors. Computers on the other hand are ideal for carrying out repetitive calculations with consistent, reliable results. This lead to elimination of known sources of error, improving patient safety These calculations are integral to full electronic prescribing systems but many hospitals currently lack such systems, while having good intranet support. In collaboration with the IT department we developed a simple web-based calculator located on the hospital’s intranet in a university teaching hospital, any computer connected to the intranet has access to this calculator. We utilised the IT department resource as a convenient and cost effective way to integrate the calculator into existing systems.