Nurses' rational use of drugs; Example of Muş State Hospital

Purpose: In this study, it is aimed to examine the knowledge and behaviors of nurses serving in hospitals about rational drug use and to determine the steps to be taken. Method: The research was conducted with 254 nurses working in a state hospital in the Eastern Anatolia Region between 01.08.2020 and 01.03.2021. In the study, a questionnaire with 18 questions was collected by the researcher by applying it to the nurses. Descriptive statistics (number, percentage, decrease, standard deviation), Independent Sample t-Test, ANOVA for more than two groups, and chi-square analysis were used in the analysis of the data. Results: As a result of the research, 93.3% of the nurses contacted the physician / pharmacist in cases where it is thought that there may be an incorrect or interaction in the drugs requested on behalf of the patient; 87.3% received in-service training; It was determined that 67.3% of them questioned whether the patient had drug and food allergy before the application. In addition, 74.0% kept the drugs to be used in case of need in accordance with the storage conditions, 86.6% followed the expiration date, 71.7% provided training to the patient about the use of drugs, and 38.6% It was determined that ' had reported unexpected side effects. In the statistical analysis, it was determined that there was no significant relationship between the age, education, experience of nurses and rational drug use. In the statistical analysis, it was determined that there was no significant relationship between the age, education, experience of nurses and rational drug use. In addition, there is a significant difference between the rational drug use of the nurse working in the outpatient clinic and the nurse working in the intensive care unit, there is a weak difference between the nurse's questioning the patient's drug and food allergy history before administering the drug and the unit they work in. A weak but significant correlation was found between the questioning of the food allergy history and participation in in-service training (p<0.005). It was determined that 90.6% of the nurses who participated in the in-service training questioned the history of drug and food allergy in the patient's anamnesis before drug administration. Conclusion: There is a lack of knowledge of nurses about rational drug use and medication errors. It can be suggested to provide consultancy pharmacy services continuously in the units with high density in the hospital or to ensure the active use of these units by using rational drug counseling units, it is suggested that it will provide positive contributions to patient safety and cost-effectiveness by reducing error rates. These units to be established will reduce error rates, increase patient safety and facilitate cost-effective service delivery. Keywords: Rational Drug Use, Nurse, Hospital