TY - JOUR

T1 - Nurses' educational preparation for a medication education role

T2 - findings from a national survey

AU - Latter, S.

AU - Rycroft-Malone, J.

AU - Yerrell, P.

AU - Shaw, D.

PY - 2001/2/1

Y1 - 2001/2/1

N2 - Nurses have a potentially important contribution to make to educating patients about medications. This nursing role is likely to acquire increasing significance as the number of nurses independently prescribing medicines grows, in addition to those nurses occupying autonomous and extended roles that involve ongoing assessment and monitoring of patients’ medicine-taking behaviour. As part of a study1commissioned to evaluate nurses’ educational preparation for, and practice of, medication education, a national survey of nurse education institutions was undertaken. A postal questionnaire was distributed to identified individuals within 51 education institutions in England. Respondents were asked about a number of curriculum design and delivery factors related to subjects central to medication education: pharmacology, patient education and communication skills. Analysis highlighted a number of themes: the teaching of pharmacology is generally integrated within other curricular modules; respondents were dissatisfied with insufficient curricular time devoted to taught pharmacology; the importance of lecturers’ ability to apply theory to practice; a lack of clarity concerning pharmacology learning outcomes applied to medication education; and respondents’ perceptions that opportunities for integrating pharmacology knowledge, patient education and communication skills were available within practice settings. The significance and implications of the findings are discussed in the context of current educational policy.

AB - Nurses have a potentially important contribution to make to educating patients about medications. This nursing role is likely to acquire increasing significance as the number of nurses independently prescribing medicines grows, in addition to those nurses occupying autonomous and extended roles that involve ongoing assessment and monitoring of patients’ medicine-taking behaviour. As part of a study1commissioned to evaluate nurses’ educational preparation for, and practice of, medication education, a national survey of nurse education institutions was undertaken. A postal questionnaire was distributed to identified individuals within 51 education institutions in England. Respondents were asked about a number of curriculum design and delivery factors related to subjects central to medication education: pharmacology, patient education and communication skills. Analysis highlighted a number of themes: the teaching of pharmacology is generally integrated within other curricular modules; respondents were dissatisfied with insufficient curricular time devoted to taught pharmacology; the importance of lecturers’ ability to apply theory to practice; a lack of clarity concerning pharmacology learning outcomes applied to medication education; and respondents’ perceptions that opportunities for integrating pharmacology knowledge, patient education and communication skills were available within practice settings. The significance and implications of the findings are discussed in the context of current educational policy.

KW - NURSING

U2 - 10.1054/nedt.2000.0528

DO - 10.1054/nedt.2000.0528

M3 - Journal article

VL - 21

SP - 143

EP - 154

JO - Nurse Education Today

JF - Nurse Education Today

SN - 0260-6917

IS - 2

ER -