Engaging Nursing Students in Quality Improvement: Teaching Safe Medication Administration

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• Medication administration safety and error reduction are key priorities in nursing education.
• Simulated environments are crucial for developing nursing students' critical thinking and safe medication administration practices.
• Managing interruptions is a critical skill for safe medication administration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the nursing management of interruptions during medication administration.
• To improve nursing students' critical thinking and reasoning skills in medication administration.
• To enhance patient safety through effective interruption management.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement project involving sophomore nursing students.
• Observation of medication administration activities for interruption episodes.
• Real-time surveys to encourage decision-making dialogue during interruptions.

Main Results:

• Improved identification of interruptions during medication administration.
• Enhanced prioritization and critical reasoning skills among students.
• Development of effective interruption management techniques for improved safety.

Conclusions:

• Real-world experiences in managing interruptions are vital for nursing students.
• Fostering critical thinking and interruption management skills improves medication administration safety.
• Quality improvement projects can effectively enhance nursing education and patient care outcomes.