Nurses' attitudes to single checking medications: before and after its use.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Patient Safety
• Medication Management

Background:

• Single medication checking is a critical safety procedure.
• Nurses' attitudes towards single checking can influence its adoption.
• Pre-implementation surveys indicated resistance to single checking among some nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate nurses' attitudes towards single medication checking before and after its implementation.
• To assess the impact of education and experience on nurses' perceptions of single checking.
• To understand how single checking affects nurses' confidence and accountability.

Main Methods:

• A pre-implementation survey assessed initial attitudes.
• A hospital policy revision and resource manual were developed.
• Nurse education sessions and competency assessments were conducted.
• A pilot program preceded hospital-wide implementation.
• A post-implementation survey (18 months later) gathered data on attitudes, confidence, and accountability.

Main Results:

• Initial surveys revealed significant opposition to single checking.
• Post-implementation, nurses welcomed the procedure.
• Nurses reported increased confidence and accountability when using single checking.
• Attitudes shifted favorably towards single checking after education and experience.

Conclusions:

• Education and experience significantly improve nurses' attitudes towards single medication checking.
• The implementation of single checking, supported by education, enhances nurse confidence and accountability.
• Single medication checking can be successfully adopted in acute care settings with appropriate support and training.