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Biomedical subjects

Kerri Wright

Publications and source records attributed to Kerri Wright.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Student nurses need more than maths to improve their drug calculating skills.

Nurses need to be able to calculate accurate drug calculations in order to safely administer drugs to their patients (NMC, 2002). Studies have shown however that nurses do not always have the necessary skills to calculate accurate drug dosages and are potentially administering incorrect dosages of drugs to their patients (Hutton, M. 1998. Nursing Mathematics: the importance of application. Nursing Standard 13(11), 35-38; Kapborg, I. 1994. Calculation and administration of drug dosage by Swedish nurses, Student Nurses and Physicians. International Journal for Quality in Health Care 6(4), 389-395; O'Shea, E. 1999. Factors contributing to medication errors: a literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing 8, 496-504; Wilson, A. 2003. Nurses maths: researching a practical approach. Nursing Standard 17(47), 33-36). The literature indicates that in order to improve drug calculations strategies need to focus on both the mathematical skills and conceptual skills of student nurses so they can interpret clinical data into drug calculations to be solved. A study was undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of implementing several strategies which focussed on developing the mathematical and conceptual skills of student nurses to improve their drug calculation skills. The study found that implementing a range of strategies which addressed these two developmental areas significantly improved the drug calculation skills of nurses. The study also indicates that a range of strategies has the potential ensuring that the skills taught are retained by the student nurses. Although the strategies significantly improved the drug calculation skills of student nurses, the fact that only 2 students were able to achieve 100% in their drug calculation test indicates a need for further research into this area.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2005

An exploration into the most effective way to teach drug calculation skills to nursing students.

Drug calculations are an essential skill for nurses. Nurses need to be able to perform them accurately to calculate correct dosages of drugs to administer to patients. Incorrect calculations can cause drug errors and potential harm to patients (; ). For student nurses therefore learning how to calculate drug dosages is an important skill that they need to be taught during their nurse training. This paper describes an action research project undertaken to explore the most effective way of teaching drug calculations to a group if 2nd year diploma and degree pre registration nurses. The evaluation of this project has demonstrated that a three stage approach to drug calculation appears to be an effective teaching strategy. These stages involve addressing mathematical concepts, teaching drug calculation formulae and then practising these skills in a clinical setting.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2005

Impact of a course on community nurses' practice: an evaluation.

An evaluation of a community course for nurses working in primary care was undertaken to ascertain whether it made an impact on the students' clinical practice. The course was undertaken by 16 nurses working within community nursing teams that included intermediate care, health visiting, school nursing and district nursing. Three quarters of the nurses had worked in the community for less than one year and half of these were newly qualified nurses. The evaluation consisted of semi-structured questionnaires, which were completed after the course and by the student and their mentor after 3 months. The assessment of practice document submitted by the students for assessment was also scrutinized for examples of changes students had made to their practice. The results demonstrate that the students felt that the community course made an impact on their practice and encouraged them to develop some of the key skills identified for community nurses.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2003

Assessment for long-term care: a snapshot of nursing practice.

A study was carried out to examine nurses' assessments of clients to provide a basis for long-term placement decision-making, in both the community and hospital settings. The recommendations made by nurses, based on their assessments, have huge implications for clients. The study was carried out in south-east London. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather information on aspects of the assessment process, and a vignette was used to ascertain how nurses assess their clients for long-term care. The questionnaires were sent to 45 district nurses and elderly care nurses involved in assessing clients for long-term care. There was wide variation in nurses' assessments and opinions on the appropriate timing of the assessments. Nurses did not identify the importance of allowing individuals the opportunity to rehabilitate and recuperate before the nursing assessment and so made potentially inappropriate recommendations. The nurses highlighted that they were given little formal training on how to complete assessments and had limited knowledge about the different care options available for their clients. Nurses had differing opinions on who should carry out particular care tasks--registered nurse or carer. This has implications for the determination of whether a client is entitled to, and the level of, free nursing care. The variations in nurses' assessments indicated the importance of having more formal structures in place to train and support nurses undertaking this potentially life-changing work.

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Caring for the terminally ill: the district nurse's perspective.

This study aimed to explore the role of the district nurse in terminal care in order to understand and clarify the work that district nurses undertake in this area. District nurses view themselves as having a central and valued role in terminal care, yet studies have highlighted concerns that they may not have the necessary skills to provide effective terminal care. In order to target the educational and developmental needs of district nurses the role of the district nurse in terminal care was explored using a qualitative approach. Six semi-structured interviews, including the use of vignettes, were undertaken with district nurses from one community trust. Interviews were all taped and transcribed verbatim. Transcriptions were analysed using coding and categorizing with constant comparison of recurring themes. Common themes relating to how district nurses viewed their role in terminal care were then developed. The district nurses viewed their role as centring on the development of a relationship with the client and family. The relationship was a foundation to understanding and knowing the clients' and families' needs and was the medium through which all other care was given. The focus of care was determined by those needs identified through the relationship. Care needs identified within the study were complex and difficult to distinguish but fell within four themes: (1) emotional; (2) social; (3) physical; (4) informational. The importance of the relationship between the district nurse, the terminally ill client and the carer has not been clearly identified before and this study points towards the importance of formal structures to be put in place within palliative care and the provision of district nurse training to allow the opportunity and skills for this relationship to be fostered and developed.

Caregivers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An investigation to find strategies to improve student nurses' maths skills.

Being able to perform drug calculations accurately is an essential skill for nurses. Many studies, however, have demonstrated that nurses need to improve this area of their practice and in particular their mathematical skills. Several strategies have been implemented to develop the drug calculation skills of nurses, with mixed success. This article reports on a study that was carried out to investigate whether strategies implemented within a second-year pre-registration course were perceived by students to be helpful in improving their mathematical skills for drug calculations. The results demonstrated that students felt their mathematics and confidence improved as a result of these strategies. The students' evaluation of the learning strategy that they found most helpful in learning drug calculation gave a mixed result, indicating that students have differing learning styles and needs. The study also indicates that student nurses were able to integrate the mathematical skills into their nursing practice by having different strategies that allowed them to develop conceptual, mathematical and practical skills concurrently. The study recommends the implementation of integrated strategies to address drug calculation skills in student nurses, although further research is still required.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
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Unsupervised medication administration by nursing students.

Nursing students need sufficient practical experience to qualify with the full range of skills required for effective practice. One area of nursing practice that needs to be addressed is the practical experience given to nursing students in the administration of medication. It is recommended that universities and NHS trusts review their policies to allow final year students to administer medication unsupervised to gain the necessary skills and experience to become competent administrators of medication. A contractual arrangement between the university and NHS trust for each student is proposed to ensure that nursing students are deemed competent and safe to administer medication unsupervised.

Contracts↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Barriers to accurate drug calculations.

AIM: To examine the drug calculation skills of nursing students. METHOD: A mathematics test and a structured questionnaire were used to determine level of skill and perceptions related to mathematics. RESULTS: The test revealed difficulties in multiplying fractions and interpreting information, and the questionnaire showed that drug calculation skills were related to education level, confidence and enjoyment of maths at school. CONCLUSION: Nursing students should be given opportunities to improve their maths skills alongside developing their knowledge of drug calculations in clinical practice.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Home truths.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

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