An Evaluation of The Pharmaceutical Calculation Competency Among Pharmacists in a Tertiary Hospital in Sabah, Malaysia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Questions requiring pharmaceutical calculations are frequently encountered by pharmacists. Accurate pharmaceutical calculations are necessary to ensure accurate drug supply and precise intravenous drug preparation. Any inaccuracy potentially results in patient harm. This study aimed to determine the competency and performance in each category of pharmaceutical calculations among pharmacists at a tertiary hospital in Sabah, Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in pharmacy department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Sabah, Malaysia (March to July 2017). All pharmacists were required to attend a 20 minutes supervised test assessment. Primary outcome was the competency in performing pharmaceutical calculation (score ?70%). Data was analysed descriptively and univariate analysis was used to determine factors associated with pharmaceutical calculation competency. Results and Discussion: A total of 82 pharmacists with mean aged of 28.7 (SD=3.9) years, predominantly female (n=57, 69.5%) were recruited in this study. Out of them, 58 (70.7%) were Fully Registered Pharmacists (FRPs) with a mean working experience of 50.9 (SD=41.2) months. Of note, 64.6% of the pharmacists obtained score ?70% in the assessment. FRPs performed better than Provisionally Registered Pharmacists (PRPs) (n=45 (77.6%) vs n=8 (33.3%), ?2=14.54, P<0.001). Pharmacists with longer working experience and previous ward experience were associated with higher competency. Assessment questions related to drug supply, preparation, administration, and compatibility demonstrated lower performance score. Conclusion: Among pharmacists in this tertiary hospital, 64.6% of them meet the predetermined competency threshold. Training should focus on strengthening areas related to drug supply, preparation, administration, and compatibility.