IV drugs: assessing pupils in Botswana

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Pharmacology
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Accurate calculation of intravenous (IV) fluid and drug administration is critical for patient safety.
• Assessing and improving the calculation skills of nursing students is essential for competent practice.
• Rural healthcare settings may present unique challenges to nursing education and skill development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the intravenous therapy calculation abilities of pupil nurses in a rural Botswana hospital.
• To determine the impact of targeted teaching interventions on improving these calculation skills.
• To identify persistent areas of difficulty in intravenous (IV) calculations.

Main Methods:

• A pre- and post-intervention questionnaire design was employed.
• Thirteen pupil nurses completed a seven-item questionnaire on intravenous therapy calculations.
• A targeted teaching session was delivered, followed by a second questionnaire administration.

Main Results:

• Overall scores improved after targeted teaching.
• Improvements were noted in the 'correct' and 'incorrect with little immediate risk' categories.
• Specific difficulties related to dripsets and diluent displacement remained unresolved.

Conclusions:

• Formal assessment and targeted teaching are effective strategies for enhancing nursing students' calculation skills.
• Continuous education and focused interventions are necessary to address persistent knowledge gaps.
• Improving calculation accuracy is vital for reducing medication errors and ensuring patient safety in nursing practice.