Undertaking safe medicine administration with children part 2: essential numeracy

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nursing
• Medicines Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Effective medicines management is crucial for pediatric care.
• Medication errors in children are a significant concern.
• Numeracy and calculation skills are identified risk factors for medication errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance children's nurses' knowledge and skills in medicines management.
• To address essential numeracy and calculation skills for safe medication administration.
• To reduce the risk of medication errors in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

• This article focuses on developing and practicing essential numeracy skills.
• It provides a range of practical activities for skill enhancement.
• Answers to all activities are provided at the end of the article.

Main Results:

• Nurses can improve their numeracy and calculation abilities.
• Enhanced skills contribute to safer medication management practices.
• Practice activities reinforce learning for immediate application.

Conclusions:

• Strengthening numeracy skills is vital for preventing medication errors in children.
• Continuous professional development in this area improves patient safety.
• This resource supports nurses in achieving safe and effective medicines management.