Nicholson score for prescribing digoxin compared with Jellife nomogram.

A series of 84 medical inpatients were treated in random order with oral digoxin in doses calculated according to the newly introduced Nicholson score and the Jellife formula and nomogram. The daily dose of digoxin was lower (p less than 0.01) according to the Nicholson score (mean 2.1 digoxin tablets of 62.5 micrograms daily). The mean serum concentration of digoxin was also lower (p less than 0.01) according to the Nicholson score (1.27 nmol/l) than according to the Jellife nomogram (1.84 nmol/l). Estimated by the Nicholson score the serum concentration of digoxin was not optimal (p less than 0.01) and not within an acceptable therapeutic range (p less than 0.01) in more patients than when estimated by the Jellife nomogram. It is concluded that the Nicholson score is not suitable for medical inpatients.