AHRQ Patient Safety Network ▲ Differences in medication knowledge and risk of errors between graduating nursing students and working registered nurses: comparative study.

AHRQ Patient Safety Network





Differences in medication knowledge and risk of errors between graduating nursing students and working registered nurses: comparative study.

Simonsen BO, Daehlin GK, Johansson I, Farup PG. BMC Health Serv Res. 2014;14:580.

Nursing skill mix and training may be linked to patient outcomes, and one study showed lower inpatient mortality rates for a variety of surgical patients in hospitals with more highly educated nurses. In this study, practicing nurses had greater medication knowledge than graduating nursing students, but both groups had serious deficiencies, particularly in their ability to perform drug dose calculations correctly.

PubMed citation 
Available at 
Free full text 

Related Resources

STUDY

Why nurses make medication errors: a simulation study.

Kazaoka T, Ohtsuka K, Ueno K, Mori M. Nurse Educ Today. 2007;27:312-17.

STUDY

Oncology nurses' perceptions about involving patients in the prevention of chemotherapy administration errors.

Schwappach DLB, Hochreutener MA, Wernli M. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2010;37:E84-E91.

COMMENTARY

Increasing the use of 'smart' pump drug libraries by nurses: a continuous quality improvement project.

Harding AD. Am J Nurs. 2012;112:26-35. 

COMMENTARY

Medication errors in nursing—part 1 and part 2.

Leufer T, Cleary-Holdforth J. Nurse Educ Pract. 2013;13:213-220.

View all related resources...