PERCEPTION, KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS PATIENT SAFETY AMONG NURSING STUDENTS IN PRIVATE COLLEGE

Abstract

Background: Patient safety is defined as the absence of preventable harm to a patient while providing health care, as well as the reduction of unnecessary harm associated with health care. The delivery of better healthcare requires the protection of patients. It's crucial to evaluate nursing students' attitudes toward patient safety in order to identify deficiencies in the educational curriculum and encourage students in patient safety activities. Given the importance of patient safety today, the purpose of this study was to appraise nursing students' expectations, attitudes, and awareness regarding patient safety.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 at one of the private university colleges in Malaysia. Ninety-two nursing students were recruited using the purposive sampling method. A self-administered questionnaire on patient safety was adapted. This data, analyzed using SPSS Version 20, and descriptive analysis and Chi-square test were used. A total of 92 questionnaires were completed.

Results: The findings show that the nursing students had a positive perception of the importance of patient safety in both education and the need for adequate skills. Moreover, 90.3 % of students demonstrated a positive attitude toward the importance of patient safety. The majority (98.9%) of the nursing students also demonstrated good knowledge about patient safety. The minimum desirable rates of positive responses (Likert 4 or 5) of 60% were exceeded among nursing students in all the three aspects.

Conclusion: Our findings can contribute to the growing knowledge base about students' learning of patient safety competencies from various perspectives. A better understanding of these interconnected factors can help new graduates feel more confident in their patient safety skills. High patient safety skills can help nursing students provide safe patient care.