Deliberate Practice of Medication Administration Among Nursing Students: A Multisite Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Safety
• Clinical Skills Training

Background:

• Deliberate practice is a recognized method for skill enhancement across various domains.
• The application of deliberate practice specifically to medication administration is not well-documented.
• Understanding its effectiveness is key to improving nursing practice and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of deliberate practice in medication administration.
• To assess the impact of this training method on reducing medication administration errors.
• To determine if deliberate practice improves skill retention among prelicensure nursing students.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental, repeated-measures study design was employed across four clinical sites.
• Sixty prelicensure nursing students participated in six study visits, engaging in simulated medication administration scenarios with deliberate practice.
• Medication errors were observed and analyzed over time using a generalized estimating equations model.

Main Results:

• The medication error rate decreased dramatically from 86% at baseline to 7% by the final assessment.
• Assessment time was identified as a significant factor influencing the reduction in errors (p < .001).
• Sixty students completed the study, demonstrating a clear trend of improvement.

Conclusions:

• Deliberate practice is an effective strategy for enhancing medication administration skills in nursing students.
• The study provides evidence that deliberate practice aids in the retention of these critical skills.
• These findings support the integration of deliberate practice into nursing curricula to improve medication safety.