An evaluation of the drug calculation skills of registered nurses

Mathematical skill and proficiency underpin a number of nursing activities, with the most common application being in relation to drug dosage calculation and administration. Medication errors have been identified as the most common type of error affecting patient safety and the most common single preventable cause of adverse events and they can occur as a result of mathematical calculation error and or conceptual error. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the drug calculation skills of registered nurses (n = 124) on commencement of employment. The findings of this study indicate that there are inconsistencies in the amount of pharmacology content and drug calculation skills delivered within nursing curricula. The most frequent type of drug calculation errors are attributed to conceptual errors and participants identified ward based education on drug calculation as a pathway for improving the drug calculation skills of registered nurses. The study recommends that medication education, encompassing mathematical and conceptual drug calculation skills should be identified as a distinct competency in nursing curricula and continuing education programme.