Medical Error Attitudes of Nurses and Affecting Factors

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to determine nurses' attitude toward medical errors and the influencing factors. This descriptive, cross-sectional and relationship-seeking study was conducted in internal, surgical, intensive care and other (emergency department, operating room, outpatient clinic) units of a university hospital located in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. A total of 421 nurses, including 359 unit nurses and 62 unit charge nurses, participated in the study. The participation rate was 63.78%. The data were collected online between April and June, 2022. 46.6% of the nurses included in the research were aged between 26 and 35, 82.4% were female, and 78.9% were undergraduate graduates. 62.2% were working more than 40 hours per week. While 46.6% of the nurses rated their clinical workload as excessive, 65.6% did not report any incidents. Except for the “Medical Error Perception” subscale, the overall “Medical Error Attitude Scale” scores and other subscale scores obtained by the nurses and charge nurses were found to be at low levels. Nurses who held undergraduate degree were found to have higher score averages in the overall scale score and the causes of medical error subscale compared to those holding a postgraduate degree (p