Background:A significant contributor to mortality and morbidity is errors in medication. Children are particularly vulnerable to pharmaceutical errors because of their immature and distinct physiological development, which causes them to have a high sensitivity to the drugs and a low tolerance for errors. Aim of the Study:The present study was aimedto evaluate the effectiveness of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) on competency skills regarding pediatric drug dose calculations among nursing students. Methodology: A quantitative research approach was utilized for the study, and a quasi-experimental research design was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Total 40 nursing students were selected as a sample using non-probability purposive sampling technique which were divided into two groups – Experimental Group (20) and Control Group (20). Result: There is a significant difference between the post competency skill score of experimental groups and the post competency skill score of control group as “t” obtained (9.017) is higher than the tabulated value (1.645) for df (38) at 0.05 level of significance. Conclusion:Thus, the Intervention was found to be effective strategy to enhance the competency skill regarding pediatric drug dose calculation.

Keywords: OSCE, competency skill, pediatric drug dose, nursing students, pharmaceutical errors

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Dutta P. Textbook of Pediatric Nursing. 5th ed. Jaypee Publications; page 150, appendix xxvi–xxvii, page 456.
2. Ghai OP. Textbook of Essential Pediatrics. 9th ed. CBS Publishers and Distributors; Chapter 30, p. 746–65.
3. Sharma R. Textbook of Essentials of Pediatric Nursing. 3rd ed. Jaypee Publications; 2021. Appendix II, p. 477.
4. Yadav M. Textbook of Child Health Nursing. 2017 ed. S. Vikas and Company (Medical Publishers), India; Chapter 22, p. 102–4.
5. Sharma KS. Textbook of Pharmacology, Pathology and Genetics for Nurses. 1st ed. Jaypee Publications; Volume I, Chapter 1, p. 7–9.
6. Sharma KS. Textbook of Nursing Research and Statistics. 4th ed. Elsevier Publications; Chapters 2–10, p. 30–260.
7. Vallerand AH, et al. Pediatric Dosage Calculations. In: Davis’s Drug Guide. 19th ed. F.A. Davis Company; 2025. Available from:https://www.drugguide.com/ddo/view/Davis-Drug-Guide/109514/all/Pediatric_Dosage_Calculations.
8. Sarraf DP, Karn BK, Shrestha E, et al. Evaluation of Drug Dose Calculation Ability of Nursing Students: An Interventional Study. Preprint. 2020 Aug 17 [cited 2025 Sep 23]; Version 1. Available from: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-52253/v1.
9. Patrício MF, Julião M, Fareleira F, Carneiro AV. Is the OSCE a feasible tool to assess competencies in undergraduate medical education? Med Teach. 2013;35(6):503–14. doi: 10.3109/0142159X.2013.774330.
10. Özyazıcıoğlu N, Aydın Aİ, Sürenler S, Çinar HG, Yılmaz D, Arkan B, et al. Evaluation of students’ knowledge about paediatric dosage calculations. Nurse Educ Pract. 2018 Jan;28:34–9. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2017.09.013. Epub 2017 Sep 19. PMID: 28942096.
11. Davis’s Drug Guide. Pediatric Dosage Calculations. Available from: https://www.drugguide.com/ddo/view/Davis-Drug Guide/109514/all/Pediatric_Dosage_ Calculations.
12. Geeky Medics. Top Tips for the Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA). 2019 Apr 27. Available from:https://geekymedics.com/top-tips-for-the-prescribing-safety-assessment-psa/.
13. Bin Abdul Jamil AKA, Amran NA, Ibrahim UI, Ping NY. Knowledge and Perception of Paediatric Drug Dosing: Impact of Paediatric Drug Dosing Workshop. Cureus. 2024 May 26;16(5):e61140. doi: 10.7759/cureus.61140. PMID: 38933608; PMCID: PMC11199407.
14. Phougat J, Kumari C. Knowledge of nursing students regarding drug calculation and safe drug administration in pediatric ward. Int J Appl Res. 2017;3(9):564–6.

Background:A significant contributor to mortality and morbidity is errors in medication. Children are particularly vulnerable to pharmaceutical errors because of their immature and distinct physiological development, which causes them to have a high sensitivity to the drugs and a low tolerance for errors. Aim of the Study:The present study was aimedto evaluate the effectiveness of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) on competency skills regarding pediatric drug dose calculations among nursing students. Methodology: A quantitative research approach was utilized for the study, and a quasi-experimental research design was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Total 40 nursing students were selected as a sample using non-probability purposive sampling technique which were divided into two groups – Experimental Group (20) and Control Group (20). Result: There is a significant difference between the post competency skill score of experimental groups and the post competency skill score of control group as “t” obtained (9.017) is higher than the tabulated value (1.645) for df (38) at 0.05 level of significance. Conclusion:Thus, the Intervention was found to be effective strategy to enhance the competency skill regarding pediatric drug dose calculation.

Keywords: OSCE, competency skill, pediatric drug dose, nursing students, pharmaceutical errors

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Dutta P. Textbook of Pediatric Nursing. 5th ed. Jaypee Publications; page 150, appendix xxvi–xxvii, page 456.
2. Ghai OP. Textbook of Essential Pediatrics. 9th ed. CBS Publishers and Distributors; Chapter 30, p. 746–65.
3. Sharma R. Textbook of Essentials of Pediatric Nursing. 3rd ed. Jaypee Publications; 2021. Appendix II, p. 477.
4. Yadav M. Textbook of Child Health Nursing. 2017 ed. S. Vikas and Company (Medical Publishers), India; Chapter 22, p. 102–4.
5. Sharma KS. Textbook of Pharmacology, Pathology and Genetics for Nurses. 1st ed. Jaypee Publications; Volume I, Chapter 1, p. 7–9.
6. Sharma KS. Textbook of Nursing Research and Statistics. 4th ed. Elsevier Publications; Chapters 2–10, p. 30–260.
7. Vallerand AH, et al. Pediatric Dosage Calculations. In: Davis’s Drug Guide. 19th ed. F.A. Davis Company; 2025. Available from:https://www.drugguide.com/ddo/view/Davis-Drug-Guide/109514/all/Pediatric_Dosage_Calculations.
8. Sarraf DP, Karn BK, Shrestha E, et al. Evaluation of Drug Dose Calculation Ability of Nursing Students: An Interventional Study. Preprint. 2020 Aug 17 [cited 2025 Sep 23]; Version 1. Available from: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-52253/v1.
9. Patrício MF, Julião M, Fareleira F, Carneiro AV. Is the OSCE a feasible tool to assess competencies in undergraduate medical education? Med Teach. 2013;35(6):503–14. doi: 10.3109/0142159X.2013.774330.
10. Özyazıcıoğlu N, Aydın Aİ, Sürenler S, Çinar HG, Yılmaz D, Arkan B, et al. Evaluation of students’ knowledge about paediatric dosage calculations. Nurse Educ Pract. 2018 Jan;28:34–9. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2017.09.013. Epub 2017 Sep 19. PMID: 28942096.
11. Davis’s Drug Guide. Pediatric Dosage Calculations. Available from: https://www.drugguide.com/ddo/view/Davis-Drug Guide/109514/all/Pediatric_Dosage_ Calculations.
12. Geeky Medics. Top Tips for the Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA). 2019 Apr 27. Available from:https://geekymedics.com/top-tips-for-the-prescribing-safety-assessment-psa/.
13. Bin Abdul Jamil AKA, Amran NA, Ibrahim UI, Ping NY. Knowledge and Perception of Paediatric Drug Dosing: Impact of Paediatric Drug Dosing Workshop. Cureus. 2024 May 26;16(5):e61140. doi: 10.7759/cureus.61140. PMID: 38933608; PMCID: PMC11199407.
14. Phougat J, Kumari C. Knowledge of nursing students regarding drug calculation and safe drug administration in pediatric ward. Int J Appl Res. 2017;3(9):564–6.