Discriminating Types of Medication Calculation Errors In Nursing Practice

Bliss-Holtz, Jane

doi:10.1097/00006199-199411000-00010

Cited by 47 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Mathematical skills of nurses were found to be inadequate in Bliss‐Holtz's (1994) study of the effect of calculator use ( n = 51 nurses) on dosage calculation tests. The minimum passing score was 85%; 72.5% of nurses attained this score with the calculator and 54.9% without the calculator.…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study the focus is on medication calculation skills, which consist of mathematical, dosage calculation, and pharmacological skills. Mathematical skills consist of arithmetic skills such as the ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide; and conceptual skills, such as the ability to convert between measurement systems and to formulate a dosage problem (Shockley et al ., 1989; Bliss‐Holtz, 1994). The conceptual skills of mathematics are considered dosage calculation skills in this study.…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, information related to the patient's diagnosis, age and condition is needed (Bayne & Bindler, 1988; Wissman, 1996; Gee et al ., 1998). Accurate administration of medication presupposes the use of exact medication calculation skills (Bayne & Bindler, 1988; Bliss‐Holtz, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Inaccurate medication calculations are a serious problem in health care (Pirie, 1987; Bayne & Bindler, 1988, 1997; Bindler & Bayne, 1991; Bliss‐Holtz, 1994; Calliari, 1995; Ashby, 1997; Grandell‐Niemi et al ., 2001), as is a lack of knowledge of pharmacology (O'Shea, 1999). Medication errors are widespread and occur in many hospitals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Medication calculation skills of nurses in Finland

Grandell-Niemi

Hupli

Leino‐Kilpi

et al. 2003

Journal of Clinical Nursing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this study was to describe the medication calculation skills of nurses in Finland. We tried to ascertain how nurses evaluate their own medication calculation skills and how these self-evaluations are associated with various background factors and the actual level they score in a calculation test. In the spring of 2000, nurses (n = 546) in one Finnish university hospital completed a questionnaire specially developed for this study. The instrument included structured questions, statements and a medication calculation test. The response rate was 56%. Data analysis was based on descriptive statistics. The nurses found the mathematics and dosage calculation easy and interesting but the pharmacology difficult. They evaluated their own mathematical and dosage calculation skills as sufficient, although it had certain shortcomings. The youngest nurses (20-29 years) evaluated their mathematical and dosage calculation skills as sufficient and they also succeeded in the calculation test. Basic (High School) education was associated with better calculation skills. The findings of this study support the need and importance of checking and maintaining one's medication calculation skills.

show abstract

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Medication calculation skills of nurses in Finland

Grandell-Niemi

Hupli

Leino‐Kilpi

et al. 2003

Journal of Clinical Nursing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, calculators may not improve scores since they cannot overcome a) the participant's misinterpretation of a question; or b) the failure to apply the correct mathematical function. Furthermore, errors may be made when entering data (Bliss Holtz 1994). Nonetheless, we have planned a randomized controlled trial to determine whether calculators affect performance.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinician Numeracy: Use of the Medical Interpretation and Numeracy Test in Foundation Trainee Doctors

Taylor¹,

Byrne‐Davis²

2017

Numeracy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Patient safety is a priority in healthcare today. Good clinician numeracy in doctors contributes to patient safety, since it is essential for accuracy in prescribing, and in data interpretation. Evidence, however, suggests that although doctors are assumed to be highly numerate, they often make errors in drug dose calculation and struggle to interpret medical statistics. Having developed a new assessment measure, the Medical Interpretation and Numeracy Test (MINT), we describe its use to evaluate clinician numeracy in 135 recently qualified doctors in the UK ("foundation trainees," i.e., in their first two years post-graduation). The maximum possible test score was 43; the range of scores was 14 -42 (33 -98% correct), with an interquartile range of 29 -38 (67 -88%). Mean score was 32.76 (76%), with a 95% confidence interval of 31.6 to 33.9. Drug dose calculation errors were common, and potentially hazardous. Two thirds of participants had difficulty with simple data interpretation tasks designed for patients. Almost a quarter could not select the better of two treatment options when data were presented as relative risk reduction, absolute risk reduction or number needed to treat. Our study suggests that a significant proportion of medical graduates have poor clinician numeracy. Such doctors may harm patients by making mistakes in drug dose calculation and through flawed medical decision making. While further research is needed to investigate clinician numeracy in doctors, we believe that there is sufficient evidence to incorporate clinician numeracy into undergraduate and postgraduate medical education programs as a matter of patient safety.

show abstract