Abstract:
BACKGROUND:Nurses play a crucial role in medication management in in-patient settings where their knowledge and skills can detect adverse drug effects and prevent errors. Yet newly graduated nurses are new to practice and have little experience. OBJECTIVES:This exploratory study sought to understand how these new nurses applied their pharmacology knowledge to medication management. METHOD:A survey was distributed to all registered nurses working in one large urban New Zealand hospital who had graduated within the previous 24 months. FINDINGS:Over 70% of nurses who participated in this study indicated strength in applying some principles; resources, formulation, correct dosage, why the drug was given, monitoring and when a drug was not given safely. Two pharmacological principles; understanding the mechanism of action of drugs and drug clearance were applied less well. Whilst previous studies have reported nurses have a lack of pharmacology knowledge, this study does not support this, but rather identifies strengths and areas for improvement. CONCLUSION:Recommendations from this study are that orientations for new nurses include commonly used drugs in that setting, extra education for new drugs and continuing education to support new graduates to continue to consolidate their knowledge and skills.
