title: Medication administration: does the teaching method really matter?
abstract: Do teaching methods affect students' performance of medication administration? This study was conducted to ascertain if there was a difference in baccalaureate nursing students' ability to accurately administer medication when taught using a faculty-assisted (control group) method versus a self-directed (experimental group) method. Student performance in medication administration was measured 1 week post laboratory practice using a 17-item instrument developed by the faculty. Students (N = 98) were randomly assigned to the faculty-assisted group or the self-directed group. The difference between the two groups was in the method of laboratory instruction. Students (n = 50) in the control group received faculty instruction on the skill performance during the laboratory practice. Students (n = 48) in the experimental group viewed a faculty-generated videotape on medication administration prior to laboratory practice. Performance evaluations were completed 1 week after the laboratory practice. Analysis of the data using a two-tailed t test for independent samples showed no significant difference (p < .05) between the two groups.
authors.affiliation: University of Mississippi School of Nursing, Jackson 39216-4505, USA.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Canterbury
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCoy
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013338:Students, Nursing; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations