ANALYSIS OF MATHEMATICAL SKILLS FOR THE CALCULATION OF MEDICINES DOSES IN NURSING STUDENTS

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Nursing students must develop mathematical skills so that once they are professionals in this discipline, they do not have obstacles with the dosage of medications, which is one of the functions that they must develop in the clinical field, and whose error could put at risk the safety and life of the patient. OBJECTIVE: To analyze how the skills for basic mathematics affect the calculation of medicine doses by nursing students in a university institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: descriptive cross-sectional research, carried out through the instrument "Mathematical ability to calculate drug doses" made up of 13 open-ended questions and applied to 256 students from the eight semesters that make up a nursing program. RESULTS: The study showed serious deficiencies in the resolution of situations that involve different basic mathematical skills that a nursing student must possess. Only 30.7% of the students were able to resolve the clinical situations in which they had to perform the calculation of the drug doses; Difficulties were also found in managing the percentages, since only 42% managed to resolve the situation. The interpretation of basic mathematical concepts using graphics was adequately interpreted by 50.2%. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present investigation showed that they should seek learning strategies that improve the skills of nursing students for the dosage of medications.