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A Scoping Review of Teaching and Assessment Strategies for Pharmaceutical Calculations in Health Professions

Mary E Fredrickson¹, Anna Nogid², Sharon Wu³

¹Northeast Ohio Medical University, College of Pharmacy, Rootstown, OH, USA.

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education

|June 8, 2025

Abstract

Objective:

Proficiency in pharmaceutical calculations is an essential and fundamental skill for health care professionals, as medication dosing and dispensing errors can result in serious patient harm. Despite this importance, research suggests that many health professions education (HPE) students face challenges in mastering these concepts. This scoping review aims to explore the available literature on pharmaceutical calculations, teaching and assessment strategies within HPE.

Methods:

A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, ERIC, and CINAHL Complete. Full-text research articles were included if they involved HPE students, discussed pharmaceutical calculations in the didactic curriculum, and were available in English. Results were reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.

Results:

Seventy-three articles met the inclusion criteria, with the majority being quasi-experimental studies. Of the studies, 57.5% involved student nurses and 35.6% involved student pharmacists. Teaching strategies varied, with problem-solving approaches, simulation, and online learning being the most common. Examinations were the most frequently used assessment strategy. Competency was assessed in 33% of the studies, with thresholds ranging from 70% to 100%.

Conclusion:

While pharmaceutical calculations education remains a crucial component of HPE curricula, this review found a lack of robust evidence supporting specific teaching or assessment interventions to improve learning outcomes. Additional research is needed to determine the comparative effectiveness of various teaching and assessment strategies for pharmaceutical calculations.

Keywords:

Education Health professions Numeracy skills Pharmaceutical calculations Students

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