Pharmacology education in nursing degree course in order to cultivate nurses skilled in drug therapy

Abstract

In nursing degree course education, it is needed to enhance contents of pharmacology education for acquiring nursing practice ability in the nursing education model core curriculum and revision of designation regulations. Therefore, it is intended to consider pharmacology education in nursing degree course in universities in the current study in order to cultivate nurses skilled in drug therapy. We have conducted a survey on knowledge required for students of universities of nursing as well as an analysis on contents of inquiries made by nurses on drugs. As a result, it has been revealed that students have recognized effect and side effects of drugs as basic knowledge required for a nurse. With less recognition required on pharmacokinetics and practical contents, however, the knowledge held by students was dissociated with practical knowledge often required for nurses when administering drugs. A possibility has been also revealed by the current survey that nurses may not be able to make use of pharmacokinetics as pharmacological knowledge for patients’ treatment management. From results of the survey and previous study, it is believed to be necessary in university education to extend pharmacological knowledge from its basic to clinical stage and build up adequate basic knowledge and thinking power of pharmacology in nursing degree course as well as to sufficiently learn and understand necessity of pharmacokinetics for conducting evaluation of drug efficacy.