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. 2025 Dec 25;25(1):92.
doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-04251-x.

Effect of an active teaching method on writing drug prescriptions applied to nursing students: a quasi-experimental study

Fillipi André Dos Santos Silva  1   2 , Jonas Sâmi Albuquerque de Oliveira  3 , Marília Souto de Araújo  4 , Raphael Raniere de Oliveira Costa  5 , Almária Mariz Batista  5 , Sâmara Luíza Barroso de Araújo Alves  3 , Maria Ruth Cândido Espinola  3 , Soraya Maria de Medeiros  3
Affiliations

Effect of an active teaching method on writing drug prescriptions applied to nursing students: a quasi-experimental study

Fillipi André Dos Santos Silva et al. BMC Nurs. .

Abstract

Background: In Brazil, as well as in several other countries, e.g. United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, nurses are legally authorised to prescribe medications, yet this practice remains under-explored in Primary Health Care. Active teaching methods can be employed to enhance drug prescriptions writing skills in undergraduate Nursing Education.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an active teaching method and the situational motivation for learning drug prescriptions writing in Primary Health Care, applied to Brazilian undergraduate Nursing students.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study with a single-group pretest/posttest design was conducted from September to November 2024. The study was conducted in the Nursing Department of a Brazilian public university with a convenience sample of 54 undergraduate Nursing students. The intervention followed the "Good Drug Prescriptions Writing Practices Teaching Method", by which students produced drug prescriptions, and their quality was assessed. Situational motivation for learning was also evaluated.

Results: The intervention significantly improved the quality of drug prescriptions (p < 0.001), with immediate post-training effects sustained over time, indicating durability. For situational motivation, the intervention had a positive (p = 0.029) - though nonuniform - impact on overall motivation (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Implementing this intervention in Nursing Education fostered competency in drug prescriptions writing, directly contributing to strengthening public health and the consolidation of safe, evidence-based practices in healthcare systems.

Trial registration: The study was registered in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC) in the https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-5mwfczh under ID code (RBR-5mwfczh) aproved in 11 november of 2024, retrospectively registered.

Keywords: Advanced practice nursing; Drug prescriptions; Education in nursing; Patient safety; Primary health care; Teaching.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics Committee of Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (No:7,080,533). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to their enrollment in this study. All participants were fully informed of the study’s objectives, procedures, and potential risks. Written informed consent was obtained from all the participants prior to enrolment in this study. The study was registered in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC) in the https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-5mwfczh under ID code (RBR-5mwfczh) aproved in 11 november of 2024, retrospectively registered. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of methodological stages, initial sample, final sample, and study losses
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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