The relationship between nursing students’ mathematics ability and their performance in a drug calculation test

doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2010.01.009

Nurse Education Today

Volume 30, Issue 7, October 2010, Pages 697-701

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2010.01.009 Get rights and content

Summary

Nurses and nursing students need good mathematics skills to do drug calculations correctly. As part of their undergraduate education, Norwegian nursing students must take a drug calculation test, obtaining no errors in the results. In spite of drug calculation tests, many adverse events occur, leading to a focus on drug administration skills both during students’ courses and afterwards. Adverse events in drug administration can be related to poor mathematics skills education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between students’ mathematics experiences in school (primary, secondary and high school) and their beliefs about being able to master the drug calculation test. A questionnaire was given to 116 first-year Bachelor of Nursing students. Those students who assessed their mathematics knowledge as poor found the requirement to obtain no errors in the drug calculation test more stressful than students who judged their mathematics knowledge as good. The youngest students were most likely to find the test requirement stressful. Teachers in high school had the most positive influence on mathematics interest, followed by teachers in secondary and primary school.

Introduction

Adverse events in drug administration can be related to poor mathematics skill education.

Norwegian students in general have poor mathematics skills compared with similar countries (Schulz, 2003). In nursing students, poor mathematics skills may lead to events that could be life threatening for patients. Statistics from the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision show that in 2006, there were 498 reported adverse events related to drug administration (Norwegian Board of Health Supervision, 2008). This is 27% of all adverse events reported in 2006. However the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision assumes there is significant underreporting of adverse events, indicating that the number of events might be even higher.

This underpins the importance of good mathematic skills among nurses and nursing students in order to do drug calculations correctly. Thus as part of their undergraduate education, Norwegian nursing students must take a drug calculation test, obtaining no errors in the results to be qualified as nurses (Ministry of Education, 2008). Even so, many adverse events occur, leading to a focus on drug administration skills both during students’ courses and afterwards (Norwegian Board of Health Supervision, 2007, Norwegian Board of Health Supervision, 2008, The Ministry of Education and Research, 2008). Further research suggests that there is a close connection between drug errors and mathematics knowledge (Worrell and Hodson, 1989, Blais and Bath, 1992, Mortimer et al., 2004, Rice and Bell, 2005, Wright, 2005, Wright, 2006, Grandell-Niemi et al., 2006). Poor mathematics knowledge is seen as one reason for adverse events in drug administration. To illuminate a possible connection between previous mathematics experience and students beliefs in their ability to master the drug calculation test, this pilot study focuses on students’ previous mathematics experiences in school (primary, secondary and high school) who influenced their interest in mathematics and the influence these experiences might have on beliefs about being able to master the drug calculation test. It could also be argued that this paper adds to debates about mathematics education and the consequences of limited skills in mathematics when entering nursing studies.

Section snippets

Background/literature

Studies have demonstrated that nursing students have anxiety about mathematics and especially mathematics testing (Hodge, 1999, Glaister, 2007, Walsh, 2008). Glaister (2007) found that 20% of Australian nursing students had mathematics anxiety and 14% of them reported mathematics testing anxiety. Similarly a study in the United States “clearly indicate that test anxiety, mathematics self-efficacy, and previous achievement contribute to students’ current mathematical competency” (Hodge, 1999, p.

Design and sample

This study applied a quantitative design with a questionnaire and test results together with the average high school grade level of the students. The sample was two classes studying Bachelor of Nursing at a University College, a total of 137 students. The questionnaire used was based upon a similar previous study (Røykenes, 2005). The original questionnaire was developed for a survey that took place after the students had passed their drug calculation test. The present study took place four

Data collection and analysis

Data were collected in August 2005 and August 2006. The response rate was high for both classes: 84% (n = 58) replied in 2005 and 85% replied (n = 58) in 2006, giving a total of 116 participants. The students answered the questionnaire in class, at the end of a teaching session. The data were analyzed using the statistic programs SPSS version 15.0 and NSD-stat. Data are summarized using frequencies, percentages and means.

Results

Findings related to former mathematics education, mathematics experiences and students’ opinions of having to perform the drug calculation test with no errors will be presented.

A total of 116 students answered the questionnaire; 95.7% (n = 111) were female. Their ages ranged from 19 to 46 years old, and the mean was 25.4 years. Four of the students had not been to secondary school but gained entry to the Bachelor of Nursing degree through recognition of prior learning and work experience. The

Discussion

The aim of this study was to see if there was a relationship between nursing students’ previous mathematics experiences, who influenced their interest in mathematical skills, and their beliefs about being able to master a drug calculation test, together with their opinions about the requirement to perform a drug calculation test with no errors. An important point of departure for this paper was the high number of adverse events in drug administration and calculation.

In summary, the study showed

Conclusions

Poor basic mathematics skills are one of the reasons why there are drug calculation deficiencies among Norwegian nursing students. As indicated by this study, many students report having little belief in their mastery of mathematics, and there is a correlation between their assessment of their own mathematics skills and beliefs in mastering the drug calculation test. It is therefore essential that their mathematics skills be improved. Norwegian nursing students must have a minimum of basic

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The relationship between nursing students’ mathematics ability and their performance in a drug calculation test

Summary

Introduction

Section snippets

Background/literature

Design and sample

Data collection and analysis

Results

Discussion

Conclusions

Nurse Education Today

Nurse Education Today

Contemporary Educational Psychology

Social Foundations of Thought and Action. A Social Cognitive Theory

Exercise of personal and collective efficacy in changing societies

Self-efficacy: The Exercise of Control

Drug calculation errors of baccalaureate nursing students

Nurse Educator

Do anxiety, mathematics self-efficacy, and gender affect nursing students’ drug dosage calculation?

Nurse Educator