An Evidence-Based Approach to Preventing Medication Administration Errors Among Nursing Students in the Clinical Setting through the Flipped Classroom

Medication errors remain a concern in healthcare settings. The effects can be fatal, costly, and devastating to all concerned. Medication administration is fundamental to patient care and registered nurses (RNs) remain the locus of this process. Nursing administrators are doubtful if the newly licensed RNs are competent for entry practice. The practice-education gap remains a subject of ongoing debate both in practice settings and academia. Guided by the situated learning theory a flipped classroom teaching methodology was implemented with 26 junior nursing students on safe medication administration process prior to clinical rotation. The clinical instructors evaluated the students for medication error, near miss, and omission in the clinical settings. Using the "five plus five rights" (Kee, Hayes & McCuistion, 2015) of safe medication administration as the basis for student evaluation, there was no medication error incident recorded. Students were supervised at all times during medication administration that averted errors. There were 7 (27%) near miss occurrences and one (4%) omission recorded. This evidence-based practice project demonstrated that flipped classroom is feasible and necessary in nursing education. This pilot project also demonstrated that near misses if recorded and reported could provide valuable information where students might need further training and practice in terms of safe medication administration process.;Keywords: medication errors, near miss, situated learning theory, flipped classroom.