Nursing Students' Perceptions of Safety and Communication Issues in the Clinical Setting

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Communication

Background:

• Clinical settings present unique safety challenges for nursing students.
• Effective communication is crucial for maintaining a safe patient care environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore nursing students' perceptions of safety issues in clinical environments.
• To understand nursing students' views on communication related to safety in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study design was employed.
• 196 undergraduate nursing students (junior and senior) participated.
• Data were collected at a northeastern U.S. state university.

Main Results:

• One-third of students feared repercussions for mistakes.
• Students expressed reluctance to report errors or ask clarifying questions.
• A majority reported not encountering near-miss events and a tendency not to report errors causing no harm.

Conclusions:

• Nursing education curricula can be improved to promote a culture of safety.
• Strategies are needed to encourage open communication about errors and near misses.
• Fostering a safety culture is essential for preparing competent and safe nurses.