Abstract
BackgroundMedication safety is an integral aspect of patient safety. Nurses, as advocates of patient safety, actively consider medication safety in the course of their daily work. Hence, it is important to consider the educational preparation of nursing students in medication management, as future caregivers. There are inherent links between nurses' undergraduate educational preparation in medication management and patient safety. ObjectiveThis research study identifies fourth-year nursing students' perceptions of their educational preparation in medication management. DesignAn interpretative phenomenological methodological approach underpinned this research study. SettingThis study was conducted at a University in the West of Ireland. ParticipantsParticipants were final year students of three undergraduate nursing programmes, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (General), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Intellectual Disability) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Mental Health). MethodsFourteen semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with students on a one-to-one basis. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. ResultsThe voices and interpretations of the participants in this study were fundamental to understanding nursing students' perceptions of their preparation in medication management and provided the foundation for this research. These perceptions were captured in the format of four themes: developing an understanding, embedding knowledge in practice, engaging in practice and accepting professional responsibility. ConclusionsFindings point to the important role of the university and the clinical placement settings in nursing students' medication management education and the need for further collaboration and development across both settings. Teaching and learning strategies which promote the integration of theory and practice throughout the four years of the undergraduate degree programme should be encouraged, such as technology enhanced learning and simulation.
Highlights
Medication safety is an integral aspect of patient safety (World Health Organisation, 2017)
It was evident that students were developing their understanding of medication management
The meaning of medication management Across interviews on an individual level, participants' initial responses regarding the meaning of medication management were limited and focused on administration of oral medication, to the exclusion of other routes of medication administration
Summary
Medication safety is an integral aspect of patient safety (World Health Organisation, 2017). Results: The voices and interpretations of the participants in this study were fundamental to understanding nursing students' perceptions of their preparation in medication management and provided the foundation for this research. These perceptions were captured in the format of four themes: developing an understanding, embedding knowledge in practice, engaging in practice and accepting professional responsibility. An Irish study by Fleming et al (2014), suggested inconsistencies in undergraduate nurse medication management education This finding is not unique to Ireland, as international literature highlights unpreparedness and inadequate knowledge among nurses for the delivery of safe medication care and raises questions regarding the adequacy of existing models of education (Fleming et al, 2014; Dilles et al, 2011; Meechan et al, 2011)
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