Objective: This study aims to analyze the attitude and knowledge of nurses at a university hospital in terms of rational drug use in the treatment of the illnesses of the patients and themselves.

Material and Method: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study on epidemiology. A survey was completed with the participation of all the nurses (416 persons) at Elazig Firat University (response rate: 71%). The study data were entered into the SPSS package program, and the statistical analyses were performed using this program.

Results: Of these nurses, 69.2% consult a physician first when they get ill, 96.3% use the drugs prescribed by their doctors, and 76.9% use the drug for the period of time suggested by their doctors. The correlation between nurses checking the expiration date of the drug they use and their age is not statistically significant (p>0.05). However, their rate of checking this date increases in direct proportion with their length of professional service (p<0.05). Of the participating nurses, 63.4% declared that they consult a physician or pharmacist about the drugs they administer to patients, and 76.3% said they got informed from the drug guide. The most frequent error in the clinical drug administration is reported as forgetting to administer the drug (40.7%).

Conclusion: The nurses do not have sufficient information about rational drug use and they reported that they do make drug administration errors. The study suggests that these deficiencies may be ameliorated by providing in service training to them.