A Cross-Sectional Study on Nursing Errors and Prevention Strategies among Nursing Students

Background: In healthcare, nursing errors are a serious problem that frequently arise from a lack of experience, insufficient information, or difficult clinical settings. Developing successful preventative tactics and improving patient safety require an understanding of the types and prevalence of these errors among nursing students. Objective: This study aimed to determine the incidence of nursing errors among nursing students and explore the strategies of clinical instructors in controlling nursing errors. Methods: A cross-sectional exploratory sequential design was used, with 332 students recruited from the third and fourth years of nursing school to investigate the incidence of nursing errors. Five clinical instructors who taught these students were interviewed to explore their strategies for decreasing students' nursing errors. Data were examined quantitatively using descriptive statistics and qualitatively using content analysis. Results: The most common nursing errors noted by students were not cleaning the thermometer while measuring body temperature (2.38 + 1.41) and providing care without the proper equipment (2.31 + 1.25). In contrast, the least common nursing error was giving oxygen to a patient with the incorrect equipment (1.20 + 0.61) and giving oxygen regardless of the patient's illness (1.10 + 0.43). The study demonstrated significant differences between gender, year of education, career interest, and nursing errors (p<0.05). The primary reasons for these errors were a lack of clinical skills and pharmacological knowledge. The results from qualitative analysis suggested that the clinical instructors' strategies for dealing with these errors among students can be explained from different perspectives, including theoretical, practical, and clinical teaching environments. Conclusion: According to study findings, nursing errors can be caused by various factors. During clinical courses, all students committed at least one nursing error, most of which derived from a lack of clinical skills and pharmacological knowledge. In addition, clinical instructors must change their teaching approaches and integrate nursing error information into the curriculum. Technology in education is one of the innovative approaches to minimize nursing errors.