title: Increasing nursing students' understanding and accuracy with medical dose calculations: A collaborative approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Accurate calculation of medication dosages can be challenging for nursing students. Specific interventions related to types of errors made by nursing students may improve the learning of this important skill.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to determine areas of challenge for students in performing medication dosage calculations in order to design interventions to improve this skill.
  
  
  METHODS
  Strengths and weaknesses in the teaching and learning of medication dosage calculations were assessed. These data were used to create online interventions which were then measured for the impact on student ability to perform medication dosage calculations.
  
  
  METHODS
  The setting of the study is one university in Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  The qualitative research participants were 8 nursing students from years 1-3 and 8 faculty members. Quantitative results are based on test data from the same second year clinical course during the academic years 2012 and 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students and faculty participated in one-to-one interviews; responses were recorded and coded for themes. Tests were implemented and scored, then data were assessed to classify the types and number of errors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students identified conceptual understanding deficits, anxiety, low self-efficacy, and numeracy skills as primary challenges in medication dosage calculations. Faculty identified long division as a particular content challenge, and a lack of online resources for students to practice calculations. Lessons and online resources designed as an intervention to target mathematical and concepts and skills led to improved results and increases in overall pass rates for second year students for medication dosage calculation tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that with concerted effort and a multi-modal approach to supporting nursing students, their abilities to calculate dosages can be improved. The positive results in this study also point to the promise of cross-discipline collaborations between nursing and education.
authors.affiliation: Trent Fleming School of Nursing, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario K9L 0G2, Canada. Electronic address: jmackie@trentu.ca.
authors.forename: Jane E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Mackie
authors.affiliation: School of Education, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario K9L 0G2, Canada. Electronic address: cathybruce@trentu.ca.
authors.forename: Catherine D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Bruce
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D002983:Clinical Competence; D054796:Drug Dosage Calculations; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007858:Learning; D008433:Mathematics; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D036301:Qualitative Research; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013338:Students, Nursing
keywords: Calculation errors; Medication dose calculations; Multidisciplinary approach; Nursing education; Student nurse; Teaching and learning strategies