A survey of drug‐dose calculation skills of Australian tertiary hospital doctors

Objective: To assess the ability of doctors to calculate drug doses and their workplace prescribing and calculation habits. Design and setting: Prospective, questionnaire‐based observational study conducted at a 570‐bed teaching hospital in February 2007. Participants: Convenience sample of 190 doctors, representing all acute medical and surgical disciplines and diverse levels of experience. Main outcome measures: Demographic data, self‐reported prescribing habits, predicted score on a 12‐item test of ability to calculate drug doses, score considered adequate for peers, and actual score. Results: 141 doctors (74%) completed the questionnaire. The mean actual score on the test was 72.5% (95% CI, 67.8%–77.3%), which was similar to the group's mean predicted score (74.7%; 95% CI, 71.0%–78.5%) but significantly lower than the mean of the score they considered adequate (91.6%; 95% CI, 89.5%–93.8%) (P