Patient safety and technology-driven medication – A qualitative study on how graduate nursing students navigate through complex medication administration

• Published in: Nurse education in practice Vol. 15; no. 3; pp. 203 - 211
• Main Authors: Orbæk, Janne, Gaard, Mette, Fabricius, Pia, Lefevre, Rikke S., Møller, Tom
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Scotland Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2015; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Attitude of Health Personnel; Computation; Demonstration Programs; Drug Therapy, Computer-Assisted; Education, Nursing, Graduate; Electronic Equipment; Focus Groups; Hermeneutics; Hospitals; Humans; Interviews; Learning Processes; Medical errors; Medical Order Entry Systems; Medication administration; Medication Errors - nursing; Medication Errors - prevention & control; Medication Systems; Multiple Choice Tests; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing student; Nursing Students; Patient safety; Patient Safety - standards; Patients; Performance Based Assessment; Professional Identity; Qualitative Research; Reference Materials; Research Design; Role models; Semi Structured Interviews; Students, Nursing; Studies; Teaching Methods; Technology; Tutors; Workstations; Denmark; Patient safety; Nursing student; Medication administration; Technology
• ISSN: 1471-5953; 1873-5223
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nepr.2014.11.015

The technology-driven medication process is complex, involving advanced technologies, patient participation and increased safety measures. Medication administration errors are frequently reported, with nurses implicated in 26–38% of in-hospital cases. This points to the need for new ways of educating nursing students in today's medication administration. To explore nursing students' experiences and competences with the technology-driven medication administration process. 16 pre-graduate nursing students were included in two focus group interviews which were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using the systematic horizontal phenomenological-hermeneutic template methodology. The interviews uncovered that understanding the technologies; professionalism and patient safety are three crucial elements in the medication process. The students expressed positivity and confidence in using technology, but were fearful of committing serious medication errors. From the nursing students' perspective, experienced nurses deviate from existing guidelines, leaving them feeling isolated in practical learning situations. Having an unclear nursing role model for the technology-driven medication process, nursing students face difficulties in identifying and adopting best practices. The impact of using technology on the frequency, type and severity of medication errors; the technologies implications on nursing professionalism and the nurses ability to secure patient adherence to the medication process, still remains to be studied.