A Correlational Study of Medication Knowledge Versus Confidence Levels in Student Nurses

Nurses' medication knowledge and confidence levels play a large role in patient safety, but few studies have examined the relationship. We used a certainty scale to compare Bachelor of Science in Nursing students' medication knowledge with their perceived confidence scores. We found that confidence of certainty was 71 percent when correct and 43 percent when incorrect. We discovered a statistically significant positive correlation between correctness and certainty, a statistically significant negative correlation between correctness and uncertainty, and a statistically significant negative correlation between incorrect answers and certainty. Accordingly, confidence of certainty did not align with knowledge, revealing potential risk of error during medication administration.