Clinical misconduct among South Korean nursing students

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Medical Ethics
• Healthcare Professionalism

Background:

• Unethical clinical behaviors pose a significant risk to patient safety and the integrity of the nursing profession.
• Understanding the prevalence and predictors of these behaviors among nursing students is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the extent and predictors of unethical clinical behaviors in undergraduate nursing students in South Korea.
• To explore the reasons for and contexts of unethical clinical behaviors through qualitative data.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative survey of 345 undergraduate nursing students assessing individual characteristics, cheating behaviors, attitudes, and contextual factors.
• Qualitative focus group interviews with nursing students to explore reasons and contexts of misconduct.

Main Results:

• Sixty-six percent of students reported engaging in unethical clinical behaviors.
• Behaviors were linked to nursing program type, clinical experience, attitudes toward cheating, cheating frequency, perceived peer cheating, and academic integrity knowledge.
• Regression analysis indicated that the last four factors explained 29.4% of the variance in unethical behaviors.
• Clinical misconduct was significantly influenced by clinical nurses and poor practice environments, distinct from classroom cheating.

Conclusions:

• Unethical clinical behaviors are widespread among nursing students and require targeted interventions.
• Both individual and environmental factors contribute to clinical misconduct, with clinical settings playing a substantial role.
• Future strategies should address academic integrity, peer influence, and the clinical learning environment to foster ethical nursing practice.