Dorit Weil Lotan
Dean of the School of Nursing Science The Academic College Tel Aviv-Yaffo, Israel
Abstract Title:Does adding images improve meta cognitive components and performance in the drug dosage calculation exam? : A randomized prospective study
Biography:
Dr. Dorit Weil Lotan is the Dean of the School of Nursing Science She is a graduate of the Hadassah School of Nursing and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1993), with a master's degree in public health from the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University and a Ph.D. from the Department of Psychology at the Hebrew University. As a nursing professional, Dr. Lotan worked at Hadassah Medical Center in a variety of clinical, educational, and managerial positions, including as Inpatient Department Manager, senior coordinator and lecturer in the School of Nursing, member of the Nursing Management Board, Ambulatory Division Director, and Institutional Director of the School of Resuscitation. Dr. Lotan is a clinical expert in management and policy, and has lectured in the field of professional identity, leadership, critical thinking, and managing complex patient care. In addition, she is a group facilitator and organizational consultant who has published articles on issues of professional identity, moral strain, sense of belonging, and burnout.
Research Interest:
Background: Accurate and secure medication calculation is critical in nursing care, as errors can lead to serious adverse events. Identifying effective methods to enhance medication dosage calculation skills during nursing education is essential.
Aim: This study examined the impact of incorporating visual images of medications or syringes into drug dosage calculation exams on nursing students’ performance, perceived ease of learning (EOL), and calculation precision. Methods: In this prospective comparative study, 120 nursing students were randomly assigned to either a control group (no images) or a study group (with images embedded in the exam). A validated questionnaire, including demographics, EOL assessment, and calculation questions, was administered. Three outcome measures were compared between groups: test performance, EOL level, and precision of calculations.
Results: The study group (with images) scored significantly higher on the exam (mean = 7.25, SD = 1.80) compared to the control group (mean = 6.00, SD = 1.18). The EOL was also significantly higher in the image group (mean = 87.71, SD = 14.41) than in the control group (mean = 73.37, SD = 15.31), suggesting that visual aids improved comprehension and perceived exam ease. BSN track students outperformed those in the academic retraining track (7.03 vs. 6.20, p < 0.01). The calibration index showed significant differences only in two questions (2 and 7), indicating limited influence of images on overall judgment accuracy.
Conclusions: Incorporating images into dosage calculation exams significantly improves students’ performance and perceived ease of learning, suggesting a 15% performance increase. However, the effect on calculation precision across all questions was limited. Visual tools may be a valuable strategy for enhancing drug calculation proficiency in nursing education.