Sample trial to assess the level of understanding of the mechanisms of drug action

The object of the present paper was to investigate whether or not the level of understanding of the mechanisms of drug action in nursing students is reflected in their descriptions of the factors in ineffective cases or adverse effects of prescribed medicines. The number of subcategories identified in the descriptions was closely connected with the test scores from the multiple‐choice and short‐answer written examination on ‘Pharmacology and Pharmaceutics’, and those from questions about the mechanisms of drug action. These results suggest that the number is useful for an estimated assessment of the level of understanding of the mechanisms of drug action.