Introduction
Adverse drug events (ADE) are associated with unplanned hospital admissions, patient dissatisfaction, a financial burden on the US healthcare system, and even high mortality rate. Jordan, Vaismoradi, and Griffiths (2016) note that even events regarded as non-life-threatening tend to have adverse effects on patients’ health and wellbeing as well as require additional interventions. A number of strategies to address this issue have been developed. These include reporting, standardization, and training (Jordan et al., 2016). Jordan et al. (2016) claim that training and nursing education play the central role in minimizing the number of adverse drug events. The proposed study will address the following clinical question: In elderly patients, what is the effect of the use of a nurse training program aimed at raising nurses’ awareness concerning ADE on the rate of adverse drug events compared with the reliance on nurses’ experience and knowledge obtained in educational establishments within two months after the completion of the program.
Type of Study
The proposed study aims at examining the outcomes of a training program that will raise nurses’ awareness concerning the clinical issue mentioned above. It is important to compare the rate of adverse drug events among nurses who have received the training and those who have not participated in the training program. Therefore, a quasi-experimental approach will be the most appropriate. This type of study will be employed as it does not require strict random sampling (DePoy & Gitlin, 2013). Randomization is difficult to ensure as a limited number of nursing professionals will take part in the intervention. The treatment group will consist of nurses who will obtain training, while the control group will consist of a similar number of nurses who will not receive training. It is noteworthy that the control group will consist of participants chosen randomly (out of those who do not take part in the intervention).
Theoretical Framework
As far as the theoretical framework is concerned, the proposed study can be guided by King’s Goal Attainment Theory. This framework is based on the concept of the interaction of three basic systems: personal, interpersonal, and social systems (DePoy & Gitlin, 2013). Lawal, Weaver, Bryan, and Lindo (2015) employ this framework to evaluate the effectiveness of nursing education and training. The researchers stress that education and training are also based on such concepts as personal, interpersonal, and social systems. Nurses obtaining training often perceive information through the lens of their background, experience, bias and so on. The training is associated with interpersonal communication between the trainer and nurses, between nurses, between patients and nurses who will apply the skills and knowledge they obtain. Finally, the training program and its effectiveness can also be affected by the social system that may include the organizational culture, power distribution, and authority.
Conclusion
On balance, it is possible to note that the proposed study will concentrate on the effectiveness of nursing training regarding adverse drug events with the focus on elderly patients. The proposed type of study will be quasi-experimental as it enables the researcher to include the nurses who will obtain training and compare their results to a larger population (those who are not involved in the intervention). The theoretical framework for this study will be Goal Attainment Theory that can help evaluate the intervention effectively with the focus on its basic components: personal, interpersonal and social.
References
DePoy, E., & Gitlin, L. N. (2013). Introduction to Research: Understanding and applying multiple strategies. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Jordan, S., Vaismoradi, M., & Griffiths, P. (2016). Adverse drug reactions, nursing and policy: A narrative review. Annals of Nursing and Practice, 3(3), 1050-1057.
Lawal, J., Weaver, S., Bryan, V., & Lindo, J. (2015). Factors that influence the clinical learning experience of nursing students at a Caribbean school of nursing. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 6(4), 32-39.