Explaining the educational needs of nursing students in preventing medication errors: a qualitative study

Patient safety and the prevention of medication errors are recognized as fundamental priorities in healthcare. Nursing students, as future healthcare providers, are susceptible to committing medication errors. This study was designed to explain the educational needs of nursing students in the field of medication error prevention.

This qualitative study was conducted in 2024 using conventional content analysis as outlined by Graneheim and Lundman. Data were collected through 22 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with nursing students from the … University of Medical Sciences who had clinical training experience. Data collection continued until data saturation was achieved. The trustworthiness of the data was ensured according to the criteria proposed by Guba.

The analysis of the interviews yielded four main themes and eleven sub-themes. The main themes were as follows: the need to strengthen cognitive abilities and mental management, the need for soft skills training, the need for safety culture education and learning from errors, and the need to integrate medication safety education into all stages of the curriculum.

The educational needs of nursing students regarding medication error prevention are multidimensional and extend beyond pure pharmacological knowledge. These findings underscore the necessity for a fundamental revision of curricula, the vertical and horizontal integration of medication safety concepts, a focus on soft skills, and fostering a culture of learning from errors rather than a culture of blame.