Medication calculation skills of the medical-surgical nurse.

Medication administration is one of the most time-consuming aspects of nursing practice. Expertise in medication calculation and administration is essential to the treatment of all patients; however, many nurses experience difficulty when calculating medications. In this study, 56.4% of nurses could not calculate medications correctly in 90% of the problems, suggesting the need for regular self-testing of medication calculation skills. Continuing education programs implemented for identified medication calculation errors influences nursing practice and patient care outcomes.