Analysis of household medicine chests: A significant learning experience for nursing students

Abstract

This is an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study in which 214 nursing students from the University of Barcelona participated, in order to examine and assess the state and management of their household medicine chests. A semi-structured questionnaire specifically prepared for the study was used to collect data. The results showed that only 18.2% of the medicine chests examined contained all the recommended dressing materials and medicines. Inspection frequency was less than 12 months in 66.4% of the cases. A high percentage of the nursing students’ homes stored medications in unsuitable locations and held on to them beyond their expiration dates or without their package. In contrast, knowledge about the use of the medications and the habit of recycling was better. Carrying out an analysis of their own medicine chest can help nursing students improve their competences in this area.