Study of Nursing Students' Recognition of the Risks of Medical Treatment Accidents

: Using the Scenario of Role Playing Drug Misadministrations

Abstract

Purpose: To examine student nurses' awareness of the risks of medical accidents due to mistakes made behind the scene while administering drugs in medical practice. One hundred seniors from a 3-year nursing college participated in this study. Method: We examined which and how many of 22 common risks these students could discover. The risks were embedded into scenarios of mistakes made while administering drugs. We also noted the students' recognition of the extent those risks could actually cause accidents. Results: Few participants discovered the risks: "The prescription was not the same as the drugs given," "Lack of communication," and "New nurses with incomplete knowledge and/or insufficient skills." The number of participants discovering the risks "Insufficient explanation and/or confirmation between a group leader and a nurse" was smaller than that discovering those same risks "between two nurses." The importance of the risk "The person preparing the drugs did not administer the drugs" was underestimated by 75 participants. Concerning requests for drug treatment, few students recognized the risks of accidents occurring with regard to the "Lack of explanation and/or confirmation between a group leader and a nurse." The students' recognition was also minimal concerning nurses' oversights being tolerated in clinical settings.