Tobramycin is a powerful antibiotic. To minimize its toxic side effects, the dose can be individualized for each patient. Thirty patients participated in a study of the accuracy of this individualized dosing. For each patient, the predicted peak concentration of Tobramycin in the blood serum was calculated, based on the patient's age, sex, weight, and other characteristics. Then Tobramycin was administered and the actual peak concen-tration (_μg/ml) was measured.The results were reported as in the table.
|
PREDICTED |
ACTUAL |
| Mean |
4.52 |
4.4 |
| SD |
0.9 |
0.85 |
| n |
30 |
30 |
Does the reported summary give enough information for you to judge whether the individualized dosing is, on the whole, accurate in its prediction of peak concentration? If so, describe how you would make this judgment. If not, describe what additional information you would need and why.