YEREVAN, Armenia — On November 23, the American University of Armenia (AUA) Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program students presented at Nork Marash Medical Center’s 30th anniversary conference, sharing their knowledge on nursing-related topics.
Four presentations were made by seven AUA BSN students. Kristine Avetisyan (BSN ’26) and Gohar Bejanyan (BSN ’26) presented on “Medication Safety;” Maria Aleksandrova (BSN ’25) and Arpine Shahinyan (BSN ’26) presented on “International Patient Safety Goals;” Zhanna Misakyan (BSN ’26) and Lilit Ayvazian (BSN ’26) presented on “Nursing Documentation;” and Natali Sahakyan (BSN ’25) presented on “Pain.” BSN faculty members supported the students in preparing their presentations.
The presentation on “Medication Safety” covered high alert and controlled medications, as well as medications that sound and look alike. It highlighted the need for safer medication administration practices, including clearly written orders, complete prescription information, and patient identification double- checks. The presenters advocated for storing medications in distinctively colored boxes and cabinets and introduced automated dispensing cabinets, widely used in internationally recognized hospitals outside Armenia. They emphasized reducing and preventing medication errors as a top priority, citing the latest research to demonstrate how avoiding such errors can decrease costs, minimize patient harm, and reduce the number of hospitalization days.
The presentation on “International Patient Safety Goals” (IPSG) focused on the goals set by the Joint Commission International (JCI). The students provided a brief overview of the JCI and the IPSGs related to medication safety, fall prevention, lowering hospital acquired infections, proper identification of patients, effective communication among the medical and nursing personnel, and the importance of introducing protocols for safe surgical care. They also shared with the audience Armenian-language tools, including a fall risk assessment form and a pre-surgery checklist.
The presentation on “Nursing Documentation” underscored the critical importance of thorough and clear documentation of care and some of the issues related to gaps in documentation. It also highlighted how proper nursing documentation can help improve patient care. The students also introduced different nursing documentation forms used in hospitals worldwide. The forms included pain assessment, wound assessment, head to toe assessment, vital signs, intake output, and National Early Warning Signs.
The presentation on ”Pain” explored the importance of pain assessment for patient care. The presentation began with an overview of pain and how it manifests in the human body. It introduced various tools for assessing pain in different patient populations and highlighted effective strategies for pain management.
The presentations were a testament to our students’ knowledge and understanding of research findings and current evidence-based practices in nursing in highly recognized international hospitals. The audience, composed of nurses and physicians from different hospitals, demonstrated interest in the topics, engaging in many questions after the presentations.
By participating in conferences and sharing knowledge with the local healthcare community, our students contribute to spreading evidence-based nursing practices and enhancing nursing care in Armenia.
The AUA Turpanjian College of Health Sciences works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of health professionals to be leaders in public health, nursing, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.
