Last Updated on October 12, 2022 by Editorial Team
As school students, we all have gone through mathematical concepts like algebra and trigonometry. We often wonder how these concepts can actually help us in daily life. Evidently, their application in various fields and occupations makes life easier. Thus, polynomials are not just a mathematics concept. As far as medical professionals are concerned, these concepts may become crucial in their daily duties.
Polynomials are one such concept that astoundingly has applications in crucial branches like electronics and medicine. We will ponder into various pragmatic applications of polynomials in the medical sector, including nurses.
Polynomials- Not just a mathematical concept
Polynomials, by definition, are the sum of terms in the form of F-Xn where F is any number and ‘n’ is a positive integer. For instance, 5x+2 is a polynomial. It is a crucial part of mathematics and algebra languages to express numbers in the form of rational expressions. Thus, these are known as “building blocks” for all other mathematical expressions.
Interestingly, the applications of this concept have been expanding outside math too. For instance, in Supermarkets, if you want to calculate how much two liters of milk and a dozen eggs cost, you can put out an expression 12E+2M where E represents the price of one egg and M represents the price of one liter of milk.
Apart from this, one can also apply these to describe the patterns of street and traffic lights. Economists employ polynomials to describe the ideal economic growth pattern. The equations here are formed with economic factors. But, how effective can this concept be in the medical field?
Polynomials- Their edge in medical field
Amid numerous polynomials applications, healthcare turns up to be one of those most enticing areas of employing this concept. While researchers may use them to describe bacteria structures, administrators may use them to note the apparatus and infrastructure. Medical professionals use polynomials to demonstrate success rates of surgeries.
Some noteworthy applications of polynomials in healthcare include counting the number of beds available, maintaining patient progress, and calculating doses of medicines. Some medical professionals use polynomials to form statistical graphs of epidemics and annual charts.
Not only to diagnose and treat conditions, but all registered nurses, health technologists, and technicians also use them in their daily practices. Hospital staff uses statistical reports to determine the number of deaths and operations in a single picture to study the progress. While nurses may use these for calculating drug doses, medical researchers may use them to form different combinations for testing samples.
Importance of polynomials in nursing field
When a student chooses medical fields for graduation, people often perceive that these learners deal with relevant medical concepts only. But the truth is something contradictory. Some people get staggered to know nursing and medical students actually have mathematical concepts in their syllabus. These concepts have a peculiar role in their career apart from other concepts like clinical procedures, treatments, and physiology.
One such mathematical concept that is employed in nursing schools is Algebra. This concept is generally a subject that can be cleared in one semester to jump to other concepts like calculus and statistics. It is worth noting that nurses don’t need to comprehend and understand complex computations. They learn what their profession realistically demands and that is dealing accurately with basic polynomials.
Let us comprehend how nurses apply polynomials:
- Fundamentally, nurses employ polynomials to write prescriptions and administer medicines. All the medicines are available in M; moreover, the medicine is to be offered per KG weight of the patient. Thus, they determine the dose of medicine via polynomial expressions.
- Prescription of drugs also needs polynomial calculation. To find out the desired dosage of medicine, the formula used is D/A * Q — Where D is the desired amount, A is the amount available, and Q is the quantity. For instance, if a 300 MG of medication is available in 150 mg tablets, the dose is calculated as 300/150 * 1, which is 2 tablets. Not all the calculations are simple; some need complex calculations too.
- The number of beds filled or vacant can be determined using simple polynomial calculations. The following formula can determine the occupancy rate: Bd / (365*on). Where Bd is the total bed days in a year, On is the number of overnight-stay beds. Sometimes the occupancy rates can exceed 100% too.
- Polynomials are sometimes used to keep track of the patient’s progress. Every hospital ensures its staff maintains a register that monitors the patient’s progress. The readings of this register can be represented in a polynomial expression and then as a graph when needed.
- Sometimes they may have to convert among various medical units. For instance, a patient’s weight must be converted from pound to kilogram, or the temperature must be converted from Fahrenheit to Celsius. These calculations need the nurse to master polynomial calculations.
- Nurses often diagnose the Drip rates of fluids and Drug titration. The prescribed fluid intake has to be calculated before employing it on the patient. For instance, they may have to give 800cc every 5 hours. The drip rate has to be calculated to be set in the equipment before administering it. Similar may be the requirement during Drug titrations too.
Polynomial in medical field- A vigilant concept?
The concept of polynomials is evidently helpful to nurses and other medical professionals. But, they need to be a step more careful while making these calculations. Medical professionals have the sole duty to save and enhance the health of patients. A minute error in the procedure can lead to a risk. Even though the personnel is careful, errors in their calculations can lead to a big mistake in the medication. These concepts are to be carefully mastered to get error-free.
In the final year of training, nurses and other medical professionals are instructed as interns to have pragmatic experience before they turn professional. Hence, proper comprehension of this concept is needed to master and prosper in their career.
Summing up
By now, with the detailed explanation of polynomial applications, it would be unfair to judge any math concepts as ineffectual or powerless. It turns legitimate when it comes to topics like algebra, statistics, trigonometry, and polynomials.
Being a practical concept, polynomials evidently have many real-life applications. It has applications in astounding fields like electronics–for closed-circuit current calculations, chemistry, business, and engineering. Despite several applications, the medical field has a special place. Some valid polynomial calculations can save lives. Thus medical professionals and nurses should carefully master these skills to employ an error-free service.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,