STRENGTHENING CLINICAL COMPETENCY: DOES DRUG DOSE CALCULATION MUST BE A CORE COMPONENT OF NURSING EDUCATION?
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Abstract
Drug dose calculation (DDC) is one of the critical competencies in nursing practice to avoid medication errors and thus the adverse events, such as toxicity or therapeutic failure. Despite this, nursing curricula do not emphasize DDC as a core skill.
Objective: To assess the competency and confidence of nursing students in solving drug dose calculations before and after a structured training session and to evaluate the necessity of integrating DDC into the core nursing curriculum.
Methods: A pre-post interventional study was conducted among undergraduate nursing students. A structured training session on drug dose calculation was conducted. Pre- and post-tests correctness of calculating the drug dosage, while a perception-based survey evaluated attitudes, confidence levels, and general anxiety in solving the mathematical calculations. The perceived importance of DDC was assessed through feedback.
Results: Significant improvement was noted in the mean post-test score (7.00) compared to the pre-test (6.16). Questions Q1, Q8, and Q10 showed statistically significant gains (p < 0.05). While most students agreed on the critical nature of DDC, less than 60% reported high confidence in performing these calculations. Anxiety and an inadequate mathematics background emerged as key barriers.
Conclusion: Targeted instruction led to measurable improvement in DDC competency and confidence. These findings strongly advocate for embedding drug dose calculation as a mandatory, practice-oriented component of nursing education to ensure safe clinical care.
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Dr Jyothsnya S
Associate professor, Dept Pharmacology, St Peter's Medical College and Hospital
Mrs Gokilavani M
Tutor, St Peter's Medical College and Hospital
Dr Manjula MJ
Assistant professor, Dept of Pharmacology, Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital
Dr Subashini Shanmuganandam
Assistant professor, Dept Pharmacology, Nanda Medical College and Hospital