Nurses and medication error: a discursive reading of the literature

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Medical Law

Background:

• Medication management is a core nursing responsibility.
• Nurses operate under legal, management, and medical guidelines for safe drug administration.
• Existing literature covers nursing knowledge, administration practices, error reduction, and ethical considerations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To perform a discursive reading of nursing literature on medication management.
• To explore how nurses are positioned concerning medication errors.
• To analyze the influence of biomedical science, law, and management discourses on nursing practice.

Main Methods:

• Discursive analysis of nursing literature.
• Application of Michel Foucault's theoretical framework.
• Examination of how discourses shape nursing roles and perceptions.

Main Results:

• The nursing voice in medication management literature is predominantly shaped by biomedical science, legal, and management discourses.
• These external discourses influence the construction and perception of nursing practice.
• Nurses' roles and responsibilities in medication management are framed within these dominant narratives.

Conclusions:

• Nursing practice, particularly in medication management, is significantly influenced by external discourses.
• Understanding these discursive formations is crucial for recognizing how nursing roles are constructed and potentially limited.
• Further research could explore alternative discourses that empower nursing voices in medication safety.