A survey of drug-dose calculation skills of Australian tertiary hospital doctors.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the ability of doctors to calculate drug doses and their workplace prescribing and calculation habits.


METHODS
Prospective, questionnaire-based observational study conducted at a 570-bed teaching hospital in February 2007.


METHODS
Convenience sample of 190 doctors, representing all acute medical and surgical disciplines and diverse levels of experience.


METHODS
Demographic data, self-reported prescribing habits, predicted score on a 12-item test of ability to calculate drug doses, score considered adequate for peers, and actual score.


RESULTS
141 doctors (74%) completed the questionnaire. The mean actual score on the test was 72.5% (95% CI, 67.8%-77.3%), which was similar to the group's mean predicted score (74.7%; 95% CI, 71.0%-78.5%) but significantly lower than the mean of the score they considered adequate (91.6%; 95% CI, 89.5%-93.8%) (P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed that senior doctors and those in critical care specialties (intensive care, emergency medicine and anaesthesia) achieved significantly higher actual scores than junior doctors and those in non-critical care specialties, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Doctors expect their colleagues to perform significantly better in a drug-dose calculation test than they expect to, or can achieve, themselves. Junior staff and those in non-critical care specialties should be targeted for education in the skill of drug-dose calculation to reduce the risk of medication error and its consequences.
Simpson
Chanelle M
CM
Department of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast Hospital, Gold Coast, QLD.
Keijzers
Gerben B
GB
Lind
James F
JF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D002983:Clinical Competence; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D054796:Drug Dosage Calculations; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires