Exploring nurses' knowledge on the antipsychotic medication management in inpatient psychiatric settings in Rwanda.
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Date
2011
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Abstract
The antipsychotic medications are recognized to be a crucial treatment for mental illnesses and
frequently used in psychiatric settings. They are also recognized to produce a number of adverse
effects that compromise a patient’s compliance and may lead to longer stay or re-admission.
Nurses are in the best position to ensure medication management as they spend 24 hours at the
bedside, administer and ensure patient surveillance. This role requires knowledge on
psychopharmacology especially of the medication frequently used. However, literature
highlights the lack of knowledge on psychopharmacology of nurses.
This study therefore, aimed to assess nurses’ level of knowledge on antipsychotic medication, to
determine nurses’ knowledge on antipsychotics’ health education and to determine
characteristics associated to nurses’ knowledge on medication for nurses working in inpatient
psychiatric hospital in Rwanda. Nursing management of drug therapy (Aschenbrenner and
Venable, 2009:2) was used as theoretical framework.
A non-experimental exploratory quantitative cross sectional survey design that is descriptive in
nature was used to describe, firstly participants’ score and level of knowledge and secondly
associations of demographic data and knowledge score. A convenient sample of 73 nurses was
given an anonymous questionnaire. The population included nurses working in inpatient
psychiatric hospital in Rwanda
The mean score knowledge on therapeutic effects was 72.85±14.99;81.91±16.88 mean
scoreknowledge on antipsychotic name; 38.61±12.38 mean score knowledge adverse effects;
83.75±22.75 mean score knowledge on patient compliance monitoring and 74.54±32.52mean
score knowledge on patient and family education practices. The overall mean score knowledge
was 68.04 % ±11.53 and the majority of participants falls between 50- 74% (65.8%, n=48).
There was no association of knowledge and experience, training and age. However, the
association with qualification yield statistically significance (P-value=0.010).
The results for this study suggest that nurses have medium knowledge on antipsychotic
medication management. This study sustains the need for additional depth and breadth pharmacological education for nurses in clinical settings focusing on commonly used
medications.
Description
Thesis (M.N.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.
Keywords
Nurses--Rwanda--Decision making., Antipsychotic drugs--Rwanda., Antipsychotic drugs--Side effects--Rwanda., Psychiatric hospitals--Rwanda., Psychiatric nurses--Rwanda., Theses--Nursing administration.