The impact of an integrated pharmacology and medicines management curriculum for undergraduate adult nursing students on the acquisition of applied drug/pharmacology knowledge

Summary

Aims

To investigate the efficacy of a 14-month integrated pharmacology and medicines management curriculum for undergraduate nursing students on the acquisition of applied drug/pharmacology knowledge.

Background

Despite considerable debate regarding nurses' ability to be able to fulfill their medication management responsibilities, little is known about how nurses should be educated in medicines management.

Methods

Two groups of nursing students were compared. The first group were exposed to the usual curriculum (control group), whilst a second group experienced a new integrated pharmacology and medicines management curriculum (intervention group) (N = 120). The impact of the curriculum on applied drug knowledge was assessed using a 69 item short answer questionnaire relating to a vignette. Students also undertook a 42 item on-line test exploring principles of pharmacokinetics. Students were also asked to self-rate their knowledge using a four point likert scale which asked how confident they were in relation to the prescribed medication regime. The data were collected in July 2008. The intervention group was exposed to an integrated curriculum approach, whilst the control group undertook periods of supervised practice within a clinical environment supported with a workbook and practice assessment learning outcomes.

Results/Findings

Students exposed to an integrated approach to pharmacology and medicines management demonstrated superior pharmacokinetic knowledge and were more able to apply drug knowledge to the patient vignettes than the control group.

Conclusion

An early introduction of an integrated approach to the teaching and assessing of pharmacological processes improves students' drug knowledge prior to qualification. A sound preparation will help to ensure safe and effective medicines management care for patients and will prepare nurses for post graduate education and further training.

Introduction

The debate regarding nurses’ ability to be able to fulfil their medication management responsibilities has received a great deal of scrutiny over the past two decades. Nurse academics are becoming increasingly concerned that current nurse curricula may not be preparing undergraduate nurses to undertake their medicines management responsibilities (Latter et al., 2000, Latter et al., 2001, Manias & Bullock, 2002a, Manias & Bullock, 2002b, Morrison-Griffiths et al., 2002, Banning, 2003). More recently, the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) review of complaints of registrants to the council for misconduct has mirrored this concern with the introduction of the essential skills clusters, providing academic institutions with standards of proficiency for pre registration nursing curricula (NMC, 2007a). Literature to date recognises contributing factors of why nurses’ knowledge may be inadequate, but there is a dearth of literature to suggest how nurses should be educated and how the complex characteristics of medicines management should be assessed.