Young's Rule
(For 1yr – 12yr of age)
Young’s Rule is an equation used to calculate pediatric medication dosage based on the patient’s age and the known recommended adult dose. The definition of Young’s Rule is the age of the patient, divided by the age added to twelve, all multiplied by the recommended adult dose. This formula based Calculator appears below:
Formula:
Age / (Age + 12)] x Adult Dose = Pediatric Dose
Young’s Rule can be applied to quickly approach a situation in which the patient’s weight is unknown.
General Tips:
- Check that your answer makes sense clinically.
- Triple check your work.
- Have a colleague or pharmacist check your work.
- Know general therapeutic drug doses for commonly administered medications.
