Medication calculation skills of nurses in Finland

Abstract

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.

Undergraduate paramedic students cannot do drug calculations

“…The inability to identify an error has been documented in the literature and has been replicated within this study with students not identifying their unreasonable answers as perhaps being incorrect, therefore highlighting a lack of conceptual understanding. [12] These results were produced in a classroom environment with all of the situational stressors of a real time patient care setting removed. When considering these results alongside the results produced in previous studies, calculation and drug administration error is not only real but likely to occur in approximately half of all dosage calculations, thereby potentially putting the patient at risk.…”

“…The fi nal type is computational errors involve miscalculation of simple functions such as multiplication, division, subtraction or addition. [9][10][11][12][13][14] In Victoria, Australia, the fi nal two years of secondary schooling form the graduation requisites of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). During the VCE there are three levels of mathematics in each of the final two years of secondary schooling.…”

Current status of administration of medicines

“…18 Several studies and reports demonstrate the need to make mathematical calculations a priority focus area. 19,20 More than 1 in 6 medication errors involve a calculation error. [21][22][23] A simulated study in a pediatric stabilization unit in England found that 14.2% of 150 orders were converted from milligrams to milliliters incorrectly, with a maximum dose deviation of 400%.…”

Drug calculation ability of qualified paramedics: A pilot study

“…[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The inability to perform accurate calculations may result in a compromise of patient safety which may lead to an under-dosing, overdosing, or a major adverse event such as death.…”

“…[2,5,14,[17][18][19] In the out-of-hospital environment paramedics face additional distractions which may be caused by loud noise, poor lighting, hot and cold weather extremes, a life threatening situation with a child, pressure from relatives, bystanders, and a lack of resources compared to the hospital setting. [20] Previous studies into the ability of paramedics to perform calculations without the aid of a calculator have identified low levels of accuracy with mean scores between 40% and 65%.…”