InnovationCENTER: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of “The Village ”: A Pharmacology Education Teaching Strategy

Abstract

MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION IS ONE OF THE RISKIEST TASKS A NURSE EXECUTES (Maricle, Whitehead, & Rhodes, 2007). The Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimates that there are 1.5 million preventable adverse drug events each year in the United States and that patients can expect to be subjected to one medication error each day while hospitalized (2006). The most common and costly errors made by nurses include administering the wrong drug, an incorrect dose, using the wrong technique or route, omitting the medication altogether, or administering medication to the wrong patient (Maricle et al.). Teaching pharmacotherapeutics to nursing students is paramount for safe medication administration. Traditionally, pharmacotherapeutics education has revolved around lectures and memorization. Lectures are an economical and efficient way to introduce new material and to relate material to what is already known (DeYoung, 2008). An enthusiastic teacher can encourage students to learn more, provide auditory learners concise information, and clarify details from the text (Bradshaw & Lowenstein, 2007). However, lectures may fail to engage students or involve them in active learning or critical thinking (DeYoung), and new strategies are needed. This article reports on evaluation of the Village as a teaching strategy in an undergraduate course in pharmacotherapeutic nursing interventions. This teacher-developed strategy incorporates case studies, open discussion, and problem-based learning. It is designed to help nursing students comprehend pharmacology and apply knowledge of medications in practice. Literature Review The National League for Nursing (NLN) recommends basing teaching practices on current research findings (2005). However, few research studies address how to improve the quality of pharmacology education preparation of baccalaureate students, how to determine effectiveness of pharmacology preparation, and how to improve teaching methods. Studies have shown that RNs have felt unprepared to administer medications upon graduation. Smith and Crawford's (2003) stratified random study of 1,000 RNs found that only 19 percent of BSN graduates felt prepared to administer medications to groups of 10 or more patients; only 48 percent reported understanding the pharmacological implications of medications. A descriptive study of 352 RNs conveniently selected in the state of Nevada (Candela & Bowles, 2008) revealed that 51 percent did not believe enough time for the practice of pharmacology was provided in the BSN curriculum. An evaluative study using a convenient representative sample of Finnish nurses and nursing students (Grandell- Niemi, Hupli, Leino-Kilpi, & Puukka, 2005) found that nurses and nursing students considered their pharmacology skills insufficient. Using a nonexperimental causal comparative and correlational research design, Ndosi and Newell (2009) found that nurses had poor knowledge of drug mechanisms of action and interactions. In Australia, Bullock and Manias (2002) conducted a qualitative study of 23 nursing lecturers and found that 35 percent felt nursing education provided insufficient pharmacology preparation for practice, and 34 percent thought nursing students were unprepared for pharmacology practice. Smith and Crawford (2003) recommend more comprehensive educational preparation in the areas of psychomotor skills, pharmacology, pathophysiology, clinical decision- making, and client education. Candela and Bowles (2008) recommend using active teaching methods such as case studies, discussion and narratives, and collaborative exercises to teach pharmacology concepts. Ndosi and Newell (2009) suggest increasing pharmacology education and clinical exposure to drug administration in undergraduate nursing courses. Being unprepared for medication administration is cause for anxiety for nurses. Dickens (2008) noted that nursing education should emphasize medication administration skills, including dosage calculations, adaptations to varied medication forms, and accurate documentation. …