ASSESSING GEORGIAN NURSES' KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES ON SAFE MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION: GAPS AND COMPLIANCE CHALLENGES

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Education

Background:

• Medication administration safety is crucial for patient recovery and clinical care effectiveness.
• Healthcare professionals' education impacts patient safety through critical thinking and clinical judgment.
• Georgia faces potential competency concerns due to the lack of mandatory nurse licensing and continuing education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine Georgian hospital nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward safe medication administration.
• To identify existing gaps in medication safety practices.
• To inform interventions aimed at enhancing patient safety in Georgian hospitals.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional quantitative study utilizing stratified random sampling (SRS) for regional representation.
• A sample size of 400 nurses was determined with a 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error.
• Data collected via self-administered questionnaires analyzed by demographics and employment location using validated measurement scales (VMS).

Main Results:

• 78% of nurses possessed basic medication safety knowledge, but only 52% recognized high-alert medications.
• 46% of nurses routinely double-checked dosages, and 39% felt time-constrained, affecting protocol adherence.
• 33% reported insufficient institutional support or standardized guidelines, indicating significant practice gaps.

Conclusions:

• Standardized training and national safety protocols are essential to mitigate risks in Georgian hospitals.
• Targeted educational interventions are necessary to support safer and more effective medication administration.
• Addressing identified knowledge and practice gaps will improve overall patient safety.