Knowledge of Nursing Students Regarding Modified Release and Enteric Coated Medications

Abstract

Introduction: Modified Release (MR) and Enteric Coated (EC) drugs are special forms of oral dosage that are developed to regulate drug release and protect drug or gastric mucosa. Poor crushing or splitting of such medicines may result in severe medication errors and patient injuries. As future medication administrators, nursing students should have sufficient knowledge about such formulations to perform safe practice. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 3rd and 4th year nursing students in Peshawar, Pakistan. The sample size was 146 participants who were selected using convenience sampling. The structured questionnaire was used to collect the data that evaluated knowledge about MR and EC medications. The SPSS version 26 was used to analyze the data and the results were provided in frequencies and percentages. Findings: The study found out that most of the students were poorly aware 84 (57.5%) about MR and EC drugs. Over fifty percent of the participants failed to identify correctly drugs that were not to be crushed. Very few percentages 20 (13.7%) showed good knowledge, which means that there are huge gaps in knowledge about safe medication administration practices. Conclusion: The nursing students have poor knowledge regarding MR and EC medications, and that this can be a threat to patient safety in their future practice. It is suggested to implement educational interventions and specific training programs to enhance awareness and safe medication practices.