Frequency of pediatric medication administration errors and contributing factors.

This study examined the frequency of pediatric medication administration errors and contributing factors. This research used the undisguised observation method and Critical Incident Technique. Errors and contributing factors were classified through the Organizational Accident Model. Errors were made in 36.5% of the 2344 doses that were observed. The most frequent errors were those associated with administration at the wrong time. According to the results of this study, errors arise from problems within the system.

Barriers to research utilisation by staff nurses in a university hospital.

AIM: To identify self-reported perceptions of the barriers to research utilisation by Turkish staff nurses working in a university hospital and to ascertain whether involvement in research-related activities influenced their perception of the barriers. BACKGROUND: Research utilisation in nursing has been a prominent concern for the last 30 years. While investigators in several countries have identified nurses' perception of barriers to research utilisation, this is the first study to investigate such barriers in Turkey. DESIGN: This is a descriptive, cross sectional study with a sample of 329 staff nurses working in a university hospital. Two instruments were used; a demographics questionnaire that investigated research activities and the Barriers Scale to measure perceptions. An additional item, 'studies are published in English' was added to the scale. RESULTS: The lack of time to implement new ideas was the most frequently, 84·5%, perceived barrier. The second most frequently perceived barrier was difficulty in reading English. The top six barriers were all related to the setting. Additionally, research-active nurses found insufficient time less of a barrier but unawareness of research findings and being isolated from knowledgeable colleagues as greater barriers to research utilisation. CONCLUSIONS: Turkish nurses' perception of barriers is similar to the findings in other countries, i.e., that the top six barriers were related to setting. Language barrier compares similarly with studies in other countries that investigated this variable. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The gap between theory and practice in nursing can be minimised by identifying strategies to increase research utilisation in clinical settings. Such strategies can also improve patient care outcomes.

A description of oncology nurses' working conditions in Turkey.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the problems about working conditions, employee rights and working life of oncology nurses in Turkey who administer cytotoxic drugs and to determine whether or not the existing practices are appropriate with national laws, comparing the current practices in private, university and government hospitals. METHOD: The study was designed as an analytic descriptive survey. The research settings took place in nine hospitals of Istanbul, Turkey. The participants were 171 nurses who worked in oncology units and administered cytotoxic drugs. Data were collected using a questionnaire, which was developed by the investigators to determine working conditions of oncology nurses. FINDINGS: The oncology nurses overworked, had insufficient time off work, did not receive compensation for overtime work, would not be protected if they were pregnant or breastfeeding, and faced deficiencies in occupational health and safety. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Oncology nurses were exposed to working conditions that were only partly appropriate with national laws and International Labor Organization standards for health care workers were disregarded. Nurses need to be educated during the preparation and administration of chemotherapy drugs and protection against exposure as soon as possible. Chemotherapic drugs need to be prepared in a hood (biological safety cabin), but when unavailable minimal protection measures, including aprons, goggles, masks and latex gloves, need to be worn.

Conflict resolution skills of nursing students in problem-based compared to conventional curricula.

PURPOSE: This descriptive research aimed to identify and compare the conflict resolution skills of nursing students enrolled in a problem based learning (PBL) or conventional curriculum. METHOD: The setting for the research was two nursing schools at public universities in Istanbul and Izmir, Turkey. The sample included 255 students enrolled in Conventional Method School and 141 students in the PBL School. A questionnaire consisting of four sociodemographic questions and the 55-item Conflict Resolution Skills Scale (CRSS) was used to collect data. Independent t-test was used to determine differences in conflict resolution skill levels between students in the conventional and PBL schools. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: The total conflict resolution skills scores and sub-scale (empathy, listening skills, requirement-based approach, social adaptation and anger management) scores of the students educated by PBL were significantly higher than those educated by the conventional method of education. This suggests that the emphasis on interpersonal skills, team communication and self-awareness that are a part of the PBL curriculum should become a focus in conventional curricula as well. These same skills and abilities should be more prominent in conventional schools of nursing as they become more student-focused.

Relationships between change and organizational culture in hospitals.

PURPOSE: To define organizational culture in hospitals that have received quality certificates and to identify attitudes of healthcare personnel toward change. METHODS: The population was all physicians and nurses (N=3,067) employed at four private hospitals that have received accreditation or the "ISO" certificate, and four public hospitals, all of which were located within Istanbul city limits. A proportional sample of 570 participants were selected from the eight hospitals. Data-gathering tools were information form, culture scale, and Attitude Against Change Scale (AACS). Data were evaluated by using descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficient, Chi-square test, and by t test for dependent groups, one-way variance analysis (ANOVA), and Tukey test. FINDINGS: The lowest score averages on the AACS were found in those employed in public hospitals, in those who perceived top executives as autocrats, and in those who were unwilling to participate in quality studies. Participants in a power culture were least open to change. CONCLUSIONS: A collaborative culture was the most evident culture in private hospitals, but in public hospitals the most dominant culture was a power culture.

A comparison of conflict-resolving tendencies of nursing college students and medical school students in Turkey.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this descriptive and comparative study was to define and compare the tendencies of nursing college and medical students in resolving conflicts. METHOD: The scope of the research was all the students of the nursing college and faculty of medical. The sample included 359 students of the nursing college and 367 medical students. The data gathering tools used were a questionnaire covering socio-demographical attributes and the conflict-resolving tendency scale. Percentage computations, t-test (significance test between two independent groups) and one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) were utilized during the evaluation of the data. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: In the light of the findings of the study, it was defined that there were significant differences between the students of the two schools in their conflict-resolving tendencies, with nursing college students having higher levels of conflict-resolving tendencies, as well as in their empathy, listening skills and requirement-focused approach.