Effect of the peer mentoring method on medication errors in nursing students

Abstract

Background & Objective: Medication errors are one of the most serious concerns in the process of treatment and patient care. According to the conducted studies, the proportion of medication error reporting among nursing students is relatively high. The present study aimed to assess the effect of the peer mentoring method on nursing students' medication errors. Materials & Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 63 fifth-semester nursing students (starting in fall and winter semesters) of Abhar Nursing College were selected in 2022 and randomly assigned to two intervention and control groups based on the entry semester. Data collection tools included demographic and Medication Administration Error (MAE) questionnaires. Initially, the mentor students were selected and participated in three sessions of group education. Thereafter, a joint meeting was held with the students, mentors, and clinical instructors, and while explaining the work method, the questionnaires were completed by the students. In the next phase, two mentors were placed in the group for every seven students, and during the three-week internship, they took responsibility for clinical education (with an emphasis on drug administration education) with the instructor. After one semester, the study participants completed the MAE questionnaire again. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 26) using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: After the intervention, the mean score of medication errors in the intervention group decreased significantly, and a significant difference was detected between intervention and control groups. Therefore, students in the intervention group had fewer medication errors than their peers in the control group (P<0.001). Conclusion: The obtained results pointed to the effectiveness of the peer mentoring method in the mitigation of medication errors among nursing students. Therefore, it is recommended that this method be used in their clinical education, and future studies assess the effect of the virtual peer mentoring method on the occurrence of medication errors among these students.

Keywords

• mentoring
• medication errors
• students