Assessing the Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Compliance with Medication Administration Protocol Among Nursing Students

Safe medication administration is a fundamental competency for nursing students, influenced by their knowledge and attitudes toward established protocols. Despite its importance, the relationship between these factors and compliance during clinical training remains underexplored in the Philippines. This study examined nursing students’ knowledge, attitudes, and compliance regarding medication administration protocols and explored associations among these variables. A quantitative descriptive–correlational design was employed with 120 nursing students from a faith-based college in Valencia City, Bukidnon. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, knowledge of medication procedures and rights, attitudes toward medication errors and patient safety, and self-reported compliance with hospital and manufacturer policies. Responses were measured on a 5-point Likert scale, and reliability was confirmed with Cronbach’s alpha values exceeding 0.70. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. Findings indicated that nursing students demonstrated very high knowledge of medication administration protocols (M = 4.58, SD = 0.35) and very positive attitudes (M = 4.58, SD = 0.40), while compliance with hospital and manufacturer policies was high to very high (M = 4.53, SD = 0.50). Knowledge of the five rights and patient safety attitudes were moderately to strongly associated with compliance (r = 0.547–0.657, p < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis showed that attitudinal factors, specifically awareness of medication errors (B = 0.585, p < 0.001) and patient safety orientation (B = 0.404, p < 0.001), were associated with compliance. In contrast, knowledge variables were not significant predictors when controlling for attitudes. The results suggest that positive attitudes support adherence to medication administration protocols, while knowledge alone may be insufficient to ensure compliance. Educational strategies integrating knowledge, attitude development, simulation, and structured feedback may enhance safe clinical practice. Findings should be interpreted with caution due to the cross-sectional design and self-reported data.