Enhancing clinical mathematics proficiency of nursing students through heuristic-based learning packets: A quantitative evaluation

Educational Point, 2(2), 2025, e122, https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/16553
Publication date: Jul 02, 2025

ABSTRACT

Mathematics plays a vital role in nursing practice, as it supports essential tasks such as medication administration, fluid management, and the accurate interpretation of patient data. However, nursing students often struggle to apply mathematical concepts in clinical settings where quick and accurate decisions are crucial. The study explores a heuristic way to help students become more confident and capable in using mathematics to ensure safe and effective patient care. A learning intervention was conducted among nursing students using specially designed packets incorporating heuristic strategies for understanding clinical mathematics. Data collected before and after the intervention were analyzed to identify meaningful improvements in their skills, with results handled under strict ethical and privacy guidelines. The results showed significant improvements in students’ performance in clinical mathematics after using heuristic-based learning materials. These gains were consistent across key areas such as unit conversion, dosage calculation, fluid balance, and data interpretation. The findings confirm that focused and contextual instruction can meaningfully support nursing students in developing the skills necessary for safe and effective patient care.

KEYWORDS

clinical mathematics heuristic-based education nursing practice nursing education mathematical education

CITATION (APA)

Taja-on, E. P., & Roble, D. B. (2025). Enhancing clinical mathematics proficiency of nursing students through heuristic-based learning packets: A quantitative evaluation. Educational Point, 2(2), e122. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/16553
Harvard
Taja-on, E. P., and Roble, D. B. (2025). Enhancing clinical mathematics proficiency of nursing students through heuristic-based learning packets: A quantitative evaluation. Educational Point, 2(2), e122. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/16553
Vancouver
Taja-on EP, Roble DB. Enhancing clinical mathematics proficiency of nursing students through heuristic-based learning packets: A quantitative evaluation. Educational Point. 2025;2(2):e122. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/16553
AMA
Taja-on EP, Roble DB. Enhancing clinical mathematics proficiency of nursing students through heuristic-based learning packets: A quantitative evaluation. Educational Point. 2025;2(2), e122. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/16553
Chicago
Taja-on, Evan P., and Dennis B. Roble. "Enhancing clinical mathematics proficiency of nursing students through heuristic-based learning packets: A quantitative evaluation". Educational Point 2025 2 no. 2 (2025): e122. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/16553
MLA
Taja-on, Evan P. et al. "Enhancing clinical mathematics proficiency of nursing students through heuristic-based learning packets: A quantitative evaluation". Educational Point, vol. 2, no. 2, 2025, e122. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/16553

REFERENCES

  1. Akbar, S., Lyell, D., & Magrabi, F. (2021). Automation in nursing decision support systems: A systematic review of effects on decision making, care delivery, and patient outcomes. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 28(11), 2502–2513. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocab123
  2. Almanasreh, E., Moles, R., & Chen, T. F. (2019). Evaluation of methods used for estimating content validity. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 15(2), 214–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2018.03.066
  3. Alrabadi, N., Shawagfeh, S., Haddad, R., Mukattash, T., Abuhammad, S., Al-rabadi, D., Farha, R. A., AlRabadi, S., & Al-Faouri, I. (2021). Medication errors: A focus on nursing practice. Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, 12(1), 78–86. https://doi.org/10.1093/jphsr/rmaa025
  4. Madu, A., Asogan, H., & Raoof, A. (2021). Education and training as key drivers for improving the quality of fluid balance charts: Findings from a quality improvement project. British Medical Journal Open Quality, 10(3), Article e001137. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjoq-2020-001137
  5. Batiibwe, M. S. K. (2020). Developing mathematical thinking through activity based heuristic approach: A case of making connections between patterns, sequences and graphs. European Journal of Education Studies, 6(12), 284–310. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3692059
  6. Bavar, A., Bavar, A., Gholian-Jouybari, F., Hajiaghaei-Keshteli, M., & Mejía-Argueta, C. (2023). Developing new heuristics and hybrid meta-heuristics to address the bi-objective home health care problem. Central European Journal of Operations Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-023-00862-4
  7. Bell, A., Galligan, L., & Latham, J. (2020). Numeracy in paramedicine education: A literature review. Adults Learning Mathematics, 15(1), 6–18.
  8. Boschetti, M. A., & Maniezzo, V. (2022). Matheuristics: Using mathematics for heuristic design. 4OR, 20(2), 173–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10288-022-00510-8
  9. Damar, M. (2022). What the literature on medicine, nursing, public health, midwifery, and dentistry reveals: An overview of the rapidly approaching metaverse. Journal of Metaverse, 2(2), 62–70. https://doi.org/10.57019/jmv.1132962
  10. Du, L., Zhao, L., Xu, T., Wang, Y., Zu, W., Huang, X., Nie, W., & Wang, L. (2022). Blended learning vs traditional teaching: The potential of a novel teaching strategy in nursing education: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nurse Education in Practice, 63, Article 103354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2022.103354
  11. Dutra, S. V. O., Kumar, K., & Clochesy, J. M. (2022). Instruction strategies for drug calculation skills: A systematic review of the literature. Nurse Education Today, 111, Article 105299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105299
  12. Garton, E. O., Ratti, J. T., & Giudice, J. H. (2020). Research and experimental design. In: N. J. Silvy (Ed.), The wildlife techniques manual: Volume 1: Research (8th ed., pp. 1–40). JHU Press.
  13. Goldstein, C., Woods, N., MacKinnon, R., Fazelzad, R., Gill, B., Giuliani, M. E., Papadakos, T., Wei, Q., & Papadakos, J. (2024). Numeracy education for health care providers: A scoping review. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 44(1), 35–43. https://doi.org/10.1097/CEH.0000000000000504
  14. Jarvis, D. H., McCullough, K. D., & McParland, T. R. (2021). Nurse education and mathematical competency: Implementation of an online, self-directed, prerequisite model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24), Article 13106. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413106
  15. Lawson, D., Grove, M., & Croft, T. (2020). The evolution of mathematics support: A literature review. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 51(8), 1224–1254. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2019.1662120
  16. Leinum, L. R., Krogsgaard, M., Tantholdt-Hansen, S., Gögenur, I., Baandrup, A. O., & Azawi, N. (2023). Quality of fluid balance charting and interventions to improve it: A systematic review. British Medical Journal Open Quality, 12(4), Article e002260. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjoq-2023-002260
  17. Lima, P. D. S. N., das Almas Silva, L., Félix, I. M., & de Oliveira Brandão, L. (2019). Difficulties in basic concepts of mathematics in higher education: A systematic review. In 2019 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (pp. 1–7). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE43999.2019.9028658
  18. Lohr, S. L. (2021). Sampling: Design and analysis. Chapman and Hall/CRC. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429298899
  19. McKenna, L., Johnston, J., Cross, R., Austerberry, J., Mathew, T., & McKenzie, G. (2022). Mathematics anxiety and associated interventions in nursing: A scoping review. Nurse Education Today, 112, Article 105335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105335
  20. Minty-Walker, C., Wilson, N. J., Rylands, L., Hunt, L., & Pettigrew, J. (2024). Numeracy teaching for undergraduate nursing students: A scoping review. Journal of Nursing Education, 63(4), 218–227. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20240207-03
  21. Minty-Walker, C., Wilson, N. J., Rylands, L., Hunt, L., & Pettigrew, J. (2021). Undergraduate nursing curricula: Numeracy and accreditation. Collegian, 28(5), 559–564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2020.10.006
  22. Mousoulides, N., & Sriraman, B. (2020). Heuristics in mathematics education. In S. Lerman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of mathematics education (pp. 331–333). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15789-0_172
  23. Mulac, A., Hagesaether, E., & Granas, A. G. (2022). Medication dose calculation errors and other numeracy mishaps in hospitals: Analysis of the nature and enablers of incident reports. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 78(1), 224–238. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15072
  24. Ogbonnaya, U. I., & Awoniyi, F. (2021). Mathematics in the nursing profession: Student and professional nurses’ perspective. Journal of Holistic Mathematics Education, 5(2), 125–138. https://doi.org/10.19166/johme.v5i2.4631
  25. Owegi, R., Burdick, K., Cannon, E., McQuiston, L., & Arvin, S. (2021). Medication math dosage assessment anxiety in undergraduate nursing students: A systematic review. Journal of Professional Nursing, 37(4), 735–740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.05.003
  26. Saeedi, M., Ghafouri, R., Tehrani, F. J., & Abedini, Z. (2021). The effects of teaching methods on academic motivation in nursing students: A systematic review. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_1070_20
  27. Safitri, N. D., Darmayanti, R., Usmiyatun, U., & Nurmalitasari, D. (2023). 21st century mathematics learning challenges: Bibliometric analysis of trends and best practices in Shinta indexed scientific publications. JEMS: Jurnal Edukasi Matematika Dan Sains, 11(1), 136–152. https://doi.org/10.25273/jems.v11i1.14283
  28. Schneidereith, T., & Barr, E. (2023). A national survey of medication dosage calculation teaching methods and competency criteria on nursing student success: Recommendations for nurse educators. Nursing Education Perspectives, 44(1), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001044
  29. Sienkiewicz, S., & Megerdichian, S. (2024). Clinical nursing calculations with navigate advantage access. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  30. Stake-Nilsson, K., Almstedt, M., Fransson, G., Masoumi, D., Elm, A., Toratti-Lindgren, M., & Björkman, A. (2022). Medication dosage calculation among nursing students: Does digital technology make a difference? A literature review. BioMed Central Nursing, 21(1), Article 123. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-00904-3
  31. Stolic, S., Ng, L., Southern, J., & Sheridan, G. (2022). Medication errors by nursing students on clinical practice: An integrative review. Nurse Education Today, 112, Article 105325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105325
  32. Tabatabaee, S. S., Jambarsang, S., & Keshmiri, F. (2024). Cognitive load theory in workplace-based learning from the viewpoint of nursing students: Application of a path analysis. BioMed Central Medical Education, 24(1), Article 678. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05664-z
  33. Taja-on, E. P., Roble, D. B., & Lomibao, L. S. (2024). Mathema Asclepius: A systematic review of mathematics shaping medical frontiers. Journal of Innovations in Teaching and Learning, 4(1), 37–43. https://pubs.sciepub.com/jitl/4/1/6/index.html
  34. Thompson, P. W. (2020). Constructivism in mathematics education. In S. Lerman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of mathematics education (pp. 127–134). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15789-0_31
  35. Tyo, M. B., & McCurry, M. K. (2019). An integrative review of clinical reasoning teaching strategies and outcome evaluation in nursing education. Nursing Education Perspectives, 40(1), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000375
  36. Vogel, F., Kollar, I., Fischer, F., Reiss, K., & Ufer, S. (2022). Adaptable scaffolding of mathematical argumentation skills: The role of self-regulation when scaffolded with CSCL scripts and heuristic worked examples. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 17(1), 39–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-022-09363-z
  37. Wakhata, R., Mutarutinya, V., & Balimuttajjo, S. (2023). Relationship between active learning heuristic problem-solving approach and students’ attitude towards mathematics. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 19(2), Article em2231. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12963
  38. Ware, A., Blumke, T., Hoover, P., & Arreola, D. (2024). Calculating optimal patient to nursing capacity: Comparative analysis of traditional and new methods. JMIR Nursing, 7, Article e59619. https://doi.org/10.2196/59619
  39. Wennberg-Capellades, L., Fuster-Linares, P., Rodríguez-Higueras, E., Fernández-Puebla, A. G., & Llaurado-Serra, M. (2022). Where do nursing students make mistakes when calculating drug doses? A retrospective study. BioMed Central Nursing, 21(1), Article 309. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-01085-9
  40. Wilson, S., Rixon, A., & Brown, C. (2023). Non-clinical intuitions and adaptive heuristics in emergency care: A scoping review. International Emergency Nursing, 71, Article 101371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ienj.2023.101371
  41. Yusoff, M. S. B. (2019). ABC of content validation and content validity index calculation. Education in Medicine Journal, 11(2), 49–54. https://doi.org/10.21315/eimj2019.11.2.6

LICENSE

Creative Commons License
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.