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Factors influencing doctors' ability to calculate drug doses correctly
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Wheeler, D. W., Wheeler, S. J. and Ringrose, T. R. (2007) Factors influencing doctors' ability to calculate drug doses correctly. International Journal of Clinical Practice, Vol.61 (No.2). pp. 189-194. doi:10.1111/j.1742-1241.2006.01273.x ISSN 1368-5031.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-1241.2006.01273.x
Abstract
Doctors and medical students are more likely to make errors in drug dose calculations when the strengths of drug solutions are expressed as ratios or percentages. We have already described how a doctor's specialty influences their drug dose calculation skills, having surveyed almost 3000 doctors in an online survey. Better teaching of drug administration skills or reinforcement of existing skills would appear to be needed. We sought to identify doctors that might benefit particularly from such teaching by other means than specialty alone, by subjecting existing data to further analysis. Almost 3000 doctors subscribing to a UK-based internet content provider had participated in an online questionnaire concerning drug-dose calculation. Each doctor's score in the multiple choice questionnaire was cross referenced with demographic data obtained from the hosts of the original survey whilst maintaining anonymity. Newly and recently qualified doctors, and doctors working in the community, struggled most with the calculations (p < 0.0001). There were also highly significant differences in the performances of doctors from different medical schools (p < 0.0001). As a new training programme for junior doctors is being introduced in the UK; we recommend that drug administration skills are given a prominent place in the curriculum, and again call for the standardisation of ampoule labelling to mass concentration.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Subjects: | R Medicine R Medicine > RS Pharmacy and materia medica |
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Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | International Journal of Clinical Practice | ||||
Publisher: | Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc | ||||
ISSN: | 1368-5031 | ||||
Official Date: | February 2007 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Vol.61 | ||||
Number: | No.2 | ||||
Number of Pages: | 6 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 189-194 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2006.01273.x | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge
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