KNOWLEDGE ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE REGARDING MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION RIGHTS AMONG NURSES WORKING IN PUBLIC SECTOR HOSPITALS OF SWAT PAKISTAN

Abstract

Background: The six rights for nurses when giving medication are known as medication administration rights (MARs). Nurses must administer the medication correctly to the right patient, in the correct dose, through the correct route, at the right time, and document it appropriately. Following these rights ensures patient safety and prevents medication errors. Medication errors are a significant

problem in healthcare, harming patients, increasing costs, and lowering the quality of care. Nurses' knowledge, attitude, and practice are crucial in medication administration to prevent errors and improve patient safety. Adhering to medication administration rights is essential for

secure and effective medication delivery. Nurses play a critical role in upholding these rights and ensuring safe and effective care for patients. Their attitudes and practices can be influenced by

factors such as workload, staffing levels, and organizational culture. Incorrect administration or ineffective medication can lead to serious harm or even death for patients.

Aim of the study: The current study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of nurses

toward medication administration rights, and identify the factors that influence the adherence to these rights such as education, training, experience, workload, and organizational culture.

Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used.

Setting: The study was conducted on nurses in public sector hospitals.

Subjects: 160 nurses were selected from two public sector hospitals of Swat KPK Pakistan.

Tools: Three tools were used, the first tool was used to assess the knowledge of nurses toward medication administration rights, the second tool was used for assessing the attitude, and the

third tool was used to assess the skills practice of nurses toward medication administration.

Findings: The study found that most nurses were aged 30-40, had a BS Nursing degree, and had 5-10 years of experience. It also found that nurses had good knowledge (78.6%) and rarely made errors (22.4%) in drug administration rights, with the most common errors being wrong

dose and wrong timing. Nurses generally (54.2%) had a positive attitude towards medication administration rights but were hesitant to report errors. The study emphasizes the importance of positive attitudes and error reporting to improve patient well-being and reduce errors. It is also found that more than three-quarters (76.4%) of the nurses have good practice and follow proper administration skills. However, (23.6%) have poor practice and do not follow proper skills.

Conclusion: Most nurses have good knowledge, practice, and a positive attitude toward medication administration rights. However, some nurses had poor practice and a negative

attitude toward reporting errors, which needs to be improved by continuous education, training, experience, reduced workload, and positive organizational culture.