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Updated: Jun 7, 2026

A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings

A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings

Published on: November 9, 2016

Nurses' medication work: what do nurses know?

Louise Folkmann¹, Janet Rankin

¹Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. louise.folkmann@rdc.ab.ca

Journal of Clinical Nursing

|November 3, 2010

Summary

Nurses

Area of Science:

Nursing Science
Health Services Research
Sociology of Health and Illness

Background:

Current reforms in nursing medication work are often driven by technological enthusiasm.
Significant safety and coordination efforts in medication administration by nurses remain unrecognized.
Dominant frameworks (biomedical science, law, management, safety) may limit understanding of actual nursing practices.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically analyze how nurses' medication work is conceptualized in existing literature.
To introduce a cautionary perspective on the unbridled enthusiasm for reforming nurses' medication work.
To explore the potential unintended consequences of technological innovations on nursing practices.

Main Methods:

A discursive paper synthesizing a critical analysis of relevant literature.

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Last Updated: Jun 7, 2026

A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings

A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings

Published on: November 9, 2016

Literature search using keywords: medication work, medication administration, and medication error.

Analysis of descriptive, theoretical, and empirical studies.

Main Results:

Existing conceptualizations of medication work are restrictive and obscure daily nursing realities.
Technological advancements in medication administration can alter nursing practices in unforeseen ways.
Dominant frameworks may overlook the complex, hidden work involved in medication administration.

Conclusions:

The rapid adoption of technological innovations in nursing medication work requires careful consideration of their impact.
A deeper understanding of the actuality of medication work is needed for nurses to critically evaluate practice transformations.
Explicating the realities of nurses' medication work can enhance professional practice and patient safety.