Undergraduate paramedic students cannot do drug calculations

Eastwood, Kathryn; Boyle, Malcolm; Williams, Brett

doi:10.5847/wjem.j.issn.1920-8642.2012.03.011

Cited by 7 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The initial mean score derived in the pre-test of study was similar to the result found in the study by Eastwood et al (2012) (44% versus 39.5%). Similarly, the conceptual errors made up a similar proportion of all of the errors made (47.9% versus 48.5%) (Eastwood, 2012). This was also found in the study by Blais and Bath (1992) whereby 38.3% of errors were conceptual and this formed the majority of all the errors (Blais and Bath, 1992).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Mathematical ability of first year undergraduate paramedic students—A before and after study

Eastwood¹,

Boyle²,

Kim³

et al. 2015

Nurse Education Today

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Mathematical ability of first year undergraduate paramedic students—A before and after study

Eastwood¹,

Boyle²,

Kim³

et al. 2015

Nurse Education Today

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“…[22,23] This error classification system has been described and utilised in other research and will not be elaborated upon here. [22][23][24] One of the studies by Eastwood et al [25] found that paramedic students were unable to do long division without a calculator and that the mean score for mathematical and drug calculation accuracy was 39.5%. In a study of paramedic self-reported medication errors Vilke et al [26] found that 63% of the reported errors were related to drug dosage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drug calculation ability of qualified paramedics: A pilot study

Boyle¹,

Eastwood²

2018

World Journal of Emergency Medicine

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BACKGROUND:The inability of paramedics to perform accurate calculations may result in a compromise of patient safety which may result from under or over dosing of drugs, incorrect joules for defi brillation, or a major adverse event such as death. The objective of this study was to identify the drug calculation and mathematical ability of qualifi ed operational paramedics. METHODS:The study used a cross-sectional design with a paper-based calculation questionnaire. Twenty paramedics enrolled in an intensive care paramedic course were eligible to participate in the study. The questionnaire consisted of demographic, drug calculation (seven questions), and mathematical (fi ve) questions. Students were given no notice of the impending study and use of a calculator was not permitted. RESULTS:All eligible students participated in the study. The average time employed as a paramedic was 7.25 years, SD 2.5 years, range four years to twelve years. Four (20%) students got all 12 questions correct, and fi ve (41.6%) got 50% or less. The average score was 8.6 (71.7%) correct, SD 2.8 correct, range 3 to 12 correct questions. There were eight (40%) conceptual errors, 12 (60%) arithmetical errors, and fi ve (25%) computational errors. CONCLUSION:The results from this study supports similar international studies where paramedic's ability to undertake mathematical and drug calculations without a calculator varies, with some results highlighting the paramedics mathematical skills as a potential risk to patient safety. These results highlight the need for regular continuing mathematical and drug calculation practice and education to ensure a lower error rate.

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“…The paper-based questionnaire consisted of three sections including demographics, attitudes to mathematical competence, drug calculation and mathematical questions. This questionnaire has been used in a range of previous studies (1,2,6-10) and validated for face and content validity (6,8).…”

Section: Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining the Ability of Paramedic Students to Do Drug Calculations

Whitfield

Veronese²,

Baran³

et al. 2020

Australasian Journal of Paramedicine

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Introduction Mathematical ability and numeracy skills are fundamental requirements for healthcare professionals undertaking patient management in a range of healthcare settings. The objective of this study was to ascertain the mathematical and drug calculation ability of undergraduate paramedic students at an Australian university in the state of Queensland. Methods This study utilised a cross-sectional study design with a previously used paper-based questionnaire to elicit responses about a range of mathematical calculations. A total of 185 Bachelor of Paramedicine students were eligible for this study. The drug calculations were provided using common pre-hospital management scenarios plus additional basic mathematical calculations. Students had no knowledge of the study before receiving the questionnaire at the end of a lecture. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to report on demographic information and comparisons. Results There were 139 (75.1%) students who participated. Females comprised 59% of the total students with most students less than 25 years of age. Three (2.2%) students answered all questions correctly, however 56 (40.3%) students scored 50% or less. There were 102 (73.4%) conceptual errors, 111 (79.9%) arithmetical errors, and 29 (20.9%) computational errors. There was no statistically significant difference between females and males for the total of correct answers or the types of calculation errors. Conclusion Results from this study demonstrate that paramedic students from an Australian university struggle to solve basic mathematical calculations unaided in a classroom environment. Universities need to ensure mathematical capability with mastery testing, so they are safe when administering drugs on entering the workforce.

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Undergraduate paramedic students cannot do drug calculations

Cited by 7 publications

References 19 publications

Mathematical ability of first year undergraduate paramedic students—A before and after study

Mathematical ability of first year undergraduate paramedic students—A before and after study

Drug calculation ability of qualified paramedics: A pilot study

Determining the Ability of Paramedic Students to Do Drug Calculations

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