Nursing Assistants, Medication Errors, and Patient Safety: A New Challenge in Iran

Today, all over the world, university nursing programs are based on professional academic training (1). In many pioneering countries in nursing, to enter a nursing program, an applicant must have a two-year accreditation in other fields such as psychology or must be educated and trained in nursing for 4 years to qualify as a registered nurse (2). In Iran, individuals enter nursing school after passing the national university entrance exam. Nursing programs offer specific theoretical and practical courses that are based on the tasks that the nurses must be able to perform in hospitals or other nursing care facilities (1). A crucial area in nursing education is pharmacology, which is the teaching of theoretical and practical approaches by pharmacology experts. Knowing the mechanisms of action and providing appropriate nursing care before and after administering medicines are among the nurses’ main duties. However, studies have shown that medication errors are prevalent among nurses; a shortage of nursing staff, a high workload, and fatigue are among the influential factors. In Iran, similar to other countries, there is a nurse shortage (3). However, many countries have decreased this problem through the implementation of several strategies. Some countries reduced nurses’ workloads by training nurse assistants who are taught to perform primary care activities, such as bathing patients and helping patients with their elimination needs, dressing, and eating. Some countries have also presented nurse assistants with higher levels of training and then assigned them more complex responsibilities, such as suctioning, removing peripheral venous catheters, rewriting orders, caring for sores, and monitoring blood sugar levels, which must be done under the supervision of a nurse (4). Some countries have also started to train medication nursing assistants (MNAs), who are licensed nursing assistants (LNAs) who have completed a board-approved medication administration program that consists of at least 30 hours of theoretical content and 30 hours of clinical training. Candidates should also have a minimum of 5 years of work experience and possess crucial competencies in basic nursing skills and the English language. MNAs can administer medical orders only for stable patients (5)