Browsing by Author "Blanckenberg, Martha Magdalena"
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- ItemAssessment of bridging students’ access to and utilisation of resources to ensure safe medication administration in a private hospital group in Southern Africa.(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Blanckenberg, Martha Magdalena; Eygelaar, Elsa; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Nursing & Midwifery.ENGLISH SUMMARY: Medication-related errors are a global concern, leading to unnecessary and avoidable harm to patients, families, healthcare workers and healthcare facilities. Errors can occur during the prescription, dispensing, preparation and administration of medication as well as during observation after administration of medication. The nurse responsible for administration of medication is the last person in this chain of events (prescription, dispensing and administration) to prevent any medication errors from reaching the patient, and the first person to detect any unwanted effects of administered medications. The purpose of this study was to determine 2nd year bridging students’ access to and utilisation of available information sources to ensure safe medication administration in a private hospital group in Southern Africa. Knowles’ assumptions of adult learners being self-directed and motivated to learn new information relevant to their personal lives or jobs were utilised in the conceptual framework for this study. A quantitative approach with a descriptive design in the format of a survey was applied to this study. The target population was initially (N=190) second year students. However, (n=87) participants were excluded as they were not available at the time of data collection. Therefore, an all-inclusive sample of (n=103) participants was included for this study. A self-administered questionnaire with Likert items and one open-ended question were utilised. This instrument was tested during a pilot test involving (n=15) participants. The results of the pilot test was excluded from the main study Data was entered into a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) spreadsheet and was analysed by an experienced biostatistician from the University of Stellenbosch. Descriptive and inferential tests were applied for the data analysis. Results revealed that medication information resources are available in all selected settings. However, these resources were under-utilised in the clinical settings and also during training on pharmacology and medication. Some participants acknowledged that they had never consulted the pharmacist n=19 (18.4%), Monthly Index of Medical Specialities (MIMS) or South African Medicines Formulary (SAMF) n=5 (4.9%), other sources e.g. articles n=18 (17.8%), prescribing physician n=19 (18.6%) and medication package inserts n=8 (8%). Due to a growing number of medications available under different brand names, pharmacists frequently dispense a more economic generic equivalent of the prescribed medication. Nurses therefore need to consult medication information sources on a regular basis, to ensure that medication dispensed is the generic equivalent of medication prescribed. Results regarding the utilisation of different study methods and information sources for studies on pharmacology and medications also revealed that the majority n=65 (63.1%) of participants were not self-directed and preferred lectures for studies on these subjects. To conclude, the results of the final section referring to the knowledge of frequently administered medications showed that the majority of participants n=30 (88.24%), n=30 (88.24%) and n=32 (91.42%) respectively, had adequate knowledge of the classification of the following medications: Enoxaparin sodium (Clexane), Paracetamol intravenous infusion, (Perfalgen) and Tramadol (Tramazac). The researcher recommends that further studies with a qualitative design to explore the reasons behind the under-utilisation of available resources, should be conducted.