Psychometric design and validation of a tool to assess the medication administration process through simulation in undergraduate nursing students

BACKGROUND

Medication errors account for 38% of adverse events reported among undergraduate nursing students. Simulation provides training for nursing students in the medication administration process. However, there is a lack of reliable and valid instruments to measure its assessment.

OBJECTIVES

To design and validate a new tool (MEDICORRECT) to assess undergraduate nursing students in the medication administration process using a high-fidelity simulation scenario.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Study participants were fourth year undergraduate nursing students at the University of Barcelona. Phase 1 consisted of tool design and drafting, and content validity and feasibility analyses. Phase 2 covered construct validity and interrater reliability. A factor analysis was conducted, involving a principal component analysis and varimax rotation.

FINDINGS

Of 21 initial items, 11 were eliminated because of low content validity ratio, 4 of which assessed cognitive skills such as administering the right medicine at the right dose, which were impossible to observe in the simulation scenario. The final version of MEDICORRECT contained 10 items. The exploratory factor analysis identified a four-factorial model explaining 67.3% of the variance. Interrater agreement measured with Kappa was greater than 0.70 for 80% of items.

CONCLUSIONS

The 10 items in MEDICORRECT are relevant and feasible, have suitable psychometric properties and reflect the practical skills identified in the medication administration process. The tool excludes cognitive skills, which should be included and assessed during prebriefing.

Reducing health inequities affecting immigrant women: a qualitative study of their available assets

BACKGROUND

Immigrant women often experience health inequities, whether for reasons of gender, country of origin, or socioeconomic status. The view of immigrant women has always focussed on their needs, without taking into account their available assets. A salutogenic approach incorporating an assets analysis could provide a new perspective on the design of health promotion interventions to reduce health inequities. The study objective was to identify the assets of this group of women as a necessary first step in changing the paradigm used in such health promotion interventions.

METHODS

This qualitative study combined focus groups, in-depth interviews, and a photovoice session. The aim was to describe the assets of this group, based on Antonovsky's salutogenic approach and assets model. Qualitative results were interpreted with a phenomenological focus, identifying each individual's internal, community, and institutional assets.

RESULTS

The self awareness of skills was linked to a person's description of herself as being optimistic, having religious beliefs, and having motivations and objectives in life, for herself, her family or her children. Being motivated helped the women to persist in doing or learning things that could be useful in confronting difficult situations. Another selfawareness skill was feeling useful to others, whether this was due to religious beliefs about their role in life or to the importance of the mutual support of interpersonal relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

High optimism, strong capacity for struggle and self-initiative, the importance of religious beliefs, social support, and concern for their children's future were described as assets of immigrant women. Identification of these assets allows us to develop more in-depth knowledge and better tools for health promotion programs and policies intended to reduce health inequities in this population of immigrant women.