Medication Calculations: Preventing Errors

What is this article about?

Maths can be intimidating to some but being able to make quick calculations is an essential skill for healthcare practitioners. Calculating the correct dose of any medicine you administer is crucial to avoid medication errors. Administering the wrong dose can have severe consequences for the patient, such as preventable morbidity and even death. While miscalculation is a serious and entirely preventable adverse event, healthcare professionals are human, and errors can still occur. We, therefore, have a responsibility to our patients to find ways of minimising instances of medication errors from occurring.