Effect of Simulation-Based Debriefing on Nursing Students’ Competence in Medication Administration: An Experimental Study

Background: Medication error represents one of the parameters of patient safety. Objectives: The aim of present study was to investigate the effect of the effect of simulation-based debriefing on adherence to correct principles and medication administration competence in nursing students. Methods: Internship nursing students entered this experimental study using the census method. Afterward, the participants were assigned to intervention (n=18) and control (n=17) groups. Two methods were employed for data collection, namely observation and self-report questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using STATA software (version 12) and non-parametric statistical tests. Results: A significant statistical difference was found between the mean scores of adherence to correct principles of medication administration and medication administration competence before, 2, and 5 weeks after the simulation in the intervention group (P=0.0001). Conclusion: The results revealed that the simulation-based debriefing improved the nursing students’ competence in medication administration. Therefore, this method in various groups of students and a clinical and practical environment is highly recommended for other students in clinical settings.