Strengthening Numerical Skills and Medication Calculation Abilities of Nursing Students

NCT07271095 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2024146
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 55
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This experimental study aims to evaluate the effect of peer-assisted education on nursing students' numerical and drug calculation skills. A randomized controlled pretest-posttest design will be conducted with 55 first-year nursing students (27 in the experimental group and 28 in the control group). The experimental group will participate in a three-week peer education program focusing on numerical problem-solving and medication dosage calculations, led by trained mentor students.

Conditions

Student; Nursing

Keywords

Nursing education; peer education; Medication calculation; Numerical skills

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• The Medication Calculation Ability

  Medication Calculation Ability Assessment Form (Pre-Test, Post-Test): The pre-test consisted of eight questions. The posttest consisted of twenty questions, including additional questions similar to those in the pretest. The questions covered the following categories: * Dosage calculation for solid and liquid oral medications (3 questions in the pretest, 8 questions in the posttest), * Dosage calculation for injections (3 questions in the pretest, 7 questions in the posttest), * Calculation of percentage solutions and intravenous fluids (2 questions in the pretest, 5 questions in the posttest). Each correct answer was scored; the participants' correct answers were averaged to convert the score into a percentage. Thus, a medication calculation skill score ranging from 0% to 100% was obtained for each participant.

  They were evaluated before the intervention and after 3 weeks of intervention.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• The Numerical Skills

  They were evaluated both before and after the 3-week intervention.

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Peer-supported medication calculation training program

Other: Peer-supported medication calculation training

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants who received traditional lecture-based instruction

Interventions

Peer-supported medication calculation training OTHER

The intervention consisted of a peer-supported education program on medication dosage calculation, implemented over three weeks with five 60-minute sessions. In Week 1, four mentor students-senior nursing students with prior training in medication calculations and a GPA above 3.0-received refresher instruction from the course instructor. The training covered decimals, percentages, unit conversions, weight-based and non-weight-based dose calculations, and infusion pump adjustments, followed by sample problem-solving activities. The intervention group was divided into four subgroups, each consisting of 7-8 students, and each was assigned a consistent mentor. Each session included 30 minutes of individual and peer problem-solving followed by 30 minutes of guided mentoring. The course instructor provided supervision and feedback throughout the sessions. During Weeks 2 and 3, students practiced numerical and medication dosage calculations through peer-supported exercises.

Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Students who were registered for the Fundamentals of Nursing course for the first time
• Students who agreed to participate in the research voluntarily

You may not qualify if:

• Students who graduated from a Health Vocational High School
• Students who had previous training in the health field
• Students who had previously taken a Fundamentals of Nursing course
• Students diagnosed with a psychiatric illness
• Students who were regularly taking psychiatric medications
• Students who did not attend the theoretical sessions of the course

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Lokman Hekim University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Lokman Hekim University

Çankaya, Ankara, 06510, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Study Officials

• Beratiye Oner

  Lokman Hekim University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: This study employed a randomized controlled pretest-posttest experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of peer-assisted education on nursing students' numerical and drug calculation skills. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n=27) or the control group (n=28). The intervention model consisted of a three-week peer-assisted training program comprising five structured sessions. Each session was conducted by trained mentor students who facilitated small group learning activities. During the sessions, students collaboratively solved numerical and drug calculation problems, discussed solution strategies, and received formative feedback from peers and mentors. The control group continued with the standard nursing curriculum without peer support. This interventional model was designed to foster active learning, peer collaboration, and problem-based engagement, aiming to enhance students' cognitive and practical competencies in medication calculation.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 25, 2025
• First Posted: December 9, 2025
• Study Start: May 15, 2024
• Primary Completion: June 15, 2024
• Study Completion: June 20, 2024
• Last Updated: December 9, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)