A comparison of high-risk medication safety knowledge between experienced nurses and student nurses: a cross-sectional correlational design

Published research suggests that high-risk medications and their administration are a significant cause of patient injury, though the rate of errors is not easily measured. Nurses’ knowledge about medication safety is critical to hospitals for patient safety and to schools of nursing for preparing students for entry into the profession. The purpose of this study was to compare experienced nurses’ knowledge of high-risk medications with that of entry-level nursing students in their final semester of study. Using a cross-sectional correlational design, 128 nursing students (75 bachelor’s, 53 master’s) were recruited ( N = 90 completed surveys). Knowledge and self-perceived nursing competence were compared using the Nursing Knowledge of High-Alert Medications (NKHAM) scale and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE). Tests comparing knowledge of high-alert medications between the two groups did not indicate higher scores among experienced nurses. In addition, significant correlations between knowledge and self-efficacy or years of experience were not observed. These results suggest a lack of development of knowledge of high-alert medications and administration post-graduation from entry-level nursing programs. The review of the published research reports mixed results. An overreliance on medication management technology may account for this finding, but further study is required.