Factors influencing paediatric nurses' responses to medication administration.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the importance of contextual and policy factors on nurses' judgement about medication administration practice.


METHODS
A questionnaire survey of responses to a number of factorial vignettes in June 2004. These vignettes considered a combination of seven contextual and policy factors that were thought to influence nurses' judgements relating to medication administration.


METHODS
185 (67% of eligible) clinical paediatric nursing staff returned completed questionnaires.


METHODS
A tertiary paediatric hospital in Brisbane, Australia.


RESULTS
Double checking the patient, double checking the drug and checking the legality of the prescription were the three strongest predictors of nurses' actions regarding medication administration.


CONCLUSIONS
Policy factors, and not contextual factors, drive nurses' judgement in response to hypothetical scenarios.
Davis
Leigh
L
School of Population Health, The University of Queensland, Herston Road, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia.
Ware
Robert S
RS
McCann
Damhnat
D
Keogh
Samantha
S
Watson
Karen
K
D000328:Adult; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control; D009736:Nursing Process; D010371:Pediatric Nursing; D011793:Queensland