Collaborating on medication errors in nursing.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Safety
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Nurse educators face evolving responsibilities in medication administration and monitoring to enhance patient safety.
• The study addresses the need for effective teaching strategies for preventable medication errors in undergraduate nursing programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop, implement, and evaluate clinical simulation experiences for teaching preventable medication errors.
• To assess the impact of including a pharmacist educator in undergraduate nursing education.

Main Methods:

• Four high-fidelity patient simulator scenarios were created focusing on medication errors.
• Undergraduate nursing students (n=69) evaluated the simulations using Likert-type questionnaires.
• Evaluations covered perceptions of the simulation experience and self-reported benefits for clinical skills and confidence.

Main Results:

• The majority of students (60.8-84.1%) positively evaluated the hospital-based simulations.
• Students reported benefits in critical thinking, decision-making, and patient safety related to medication errors.
• The inclusion of a pharmacy educator was found to be beneficial for medication safety training.

Conclusions:

• Interprofessional collaboration with pharmacist educators enhances nursing students' education on medication safety.
• Simulation experiences positively impact students' confidence and abilities in recognizing, managing, and reporting medication errors.
• This approach is valuable for improving nursing education and ultimately patient safety.