Review: Casio Nursing Calculator SP-100UNSU
It's rare, but there are nursing-based calculators that are available in the market from time to time. Here is a review of one.
Quick Facts
Model: SP-100USNU
Company: Casio
Years: 2022-current
Type: Nursing
Batteries: CR2016
Operating Modes: Chain
Number of Registers: 1
Display: 10 digits, with prompts
Cost: $39.99 USD
The calculator that I ordered came in an ecology-friendly package, with the calculator wrapped in a bubble wrap pocket. Unfortunately, it does not have a hard sliding case or the calculator being in a wallet.
The calculator casing has a nice silver finish with white keys.
A Calculator for the Nursing and Pharmacy Industries
The SP-100USNU is built for the nursing and pharmacy industries. Five of the keys deal with six calculations, which each of the top keys serving as a toggle. What is great about the SP-100USNU is that the calculator gives prompts and menus as necessary. The display is crisp and clean.
[ BMI ]: Body Mass Index. Two input modes: lbs/ft/in, kg/cm
[ Dose ]: Does Calculation. Solve for Ordered Dose given Desired Dose, or solve for Desired Dose given Ordered Dose. Doses are in mL, with amount of the medicine (per pill, capsule, gummy, etc.) in mg.
[ BSA ]: Body Surface Area approximation in square meters. Two input modes: lbs/ft/in, kg/cm
[ eGFR ]: Calculate the estimated glomerular filtration rate which assist in diagnosis of chronic kidney disease. The CKD-EPI equation, which factors a person's skin color (black vs. non-black), sex (male vs. female), weight (for body surface area), creatinine secretion (mg/dL), and the person's age. What is calculated? CCr, Creatinine Clearance, in mL/min and eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate, in mL/min/1.73m^2. The average body surface area is estimated to be 1.73 m^2.
[ IV rate ] (date): This key toggles between two types of calculations: IV Drip Rate and Date calculation.
IV Drip Rate: three inputs are needed. Volume of medicine in mL, time that the IV lasts in minutes, and drop factor in gtts/mL (typically 15 - 20 gtts/mL). gtts stands for number of drops. The drip rate is given in gtts/min.
Date: Calculate the date functions for all dates in the 21st century (January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2099).
1. Before: calculate the date before the base date.
2. After: calculate the date after the base date.
3. Period: calculate the days between dates.
The formulas are given at the back of box (expect for CCr and the date calculations) and listed in the manual (expect for date calculations). Hence the box and the manual is a neat reference.
Link to the manual, which has to be downloaded: https://support.casio.com/storage/en/manual/pdf/EN/004/SP-100USNU_EN.pdf
Regular Calculator
The SP-100USNU is also a regular four function calculator. Unfortunately neither the percent function (%) nor the square root function (√) are present. I would think that the nursing profession would work with percentages. We do have memory calculations (M+, M-, MRC).
Also you may need access to a conversion table (via calculator, book, internet, all of the above) to do common conversions. I would have loved to see that present here too.
Conversion Factors
1 kg = 2.20462 lb
1 in = 2.54 cm
1 L = 1000 mL
1 hr = 60 min
During the prompts, we can execute side calculations before entering the required entry in the prompt.
Final Thoughts
I did not like the fact that that calculator does not have the % and the √ functions. It would be nice if conversion factors were included (especially with the money). However, the formulas included make a great specialized calculator.
Eddie
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