Assessment of medical errors awareness among nursing students during their clinical internship: Palestinian perspectives

Abstract Background Medical errors are a major concern for patient safety in healthcare institutions globally, making this a critical public health issue leading to significant problems, including increased hospital stays and higher mortality rates. Objectives This study aims to assess nursing stude...

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Main Authors: Basma Salameh, Sameer A. Alkubati, Mayas Kassabry, Faeda Qtait, Bahaaeddin M. Hammad, Abeer Hussein, Rasmieh Anabtawy, Jamal Qaddumi, Mohammed ALBashtawy, Ola Mousa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-07-01
Series:BMC Medical Education
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07692-9
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author Basma Salameh
Sameer A. Alkubati
Mayas Kassabry
Faeda Qtait
Bahaaeddin M. Hammad
Abeer Hussein
Rasmieh Anabtawy
Jamal Qaddumi
Mohammed ALBashtawy
Ola Mousa
author_facet Basma Salameh
Sameer A. Alkubati
Mayas Kassabry
Faeda Qtait
Bahaaeddin M. Hammad
Abeer Hussein
Rasmieh Anabtawy
Jamal Qaddumi
Mohammed ALBashtawy
Ola Mousa
author_sort Basma Salameh
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Medical errors are a major concern for patient safety in healthcare institutions globally, making this a critical public health issue leading to significant problems, including increased hospital stays and higher mortality rates. Objectives This study aims to assess nursing students’ awareness of medical errors during their clinical internship. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 280 intern nursing students from the Arab American University in Palestine. A self-administered questionnaire, comprising 43 items across six subscales based on a medical error scale was used to collect data. The analysis was performed using SPSS version 29, with data collected during the Fall of semester 2024. Results The overall mean awareness score was 161 (SD = 75.34) out of a possible 215, with a mean item-level score of 3.74 (on a 5-point scale). Among the subscales, the highest mean score was observed in Care Practices (M = 4.06), while the lowest was in Patient Falls (M = 3.38). Approximately 39.6% of students reported medical errors, with 12.5% involving blood transfusion, 11.4% medication errors, and 20.1% categorized as other errors (e.g., needlestick injuries). The majority (65.7%) reported not committing any errors during their clinical practice. Conclusion The study suggests that intern nursing students have a low tendency to commit medical errors, which bodes well for the implementation of future patient safety protocols. These findings indicate that nursing students are becoming increasingly proficient in safe care practices, thereby reducing medical error rates, and enhancing patient safety in clinical settings. Clinical trial number Not applicable
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issn 1472-6920
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spelling doaj-art-a26d91c63ed9496b898fe26647f672932025-08-20T03:46:04ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202025-07-0125111010.1186/s12909-025-07692-9Assessment of medical errors awareness among nursing students during their clinical internship: Palestinian perspectivesBasma Salameh0Sameer A. Alkubati1Mayas Kassabry2Faeda Qtait3Bahaaeddin M. Hammad4Abeer Hussein5Rasmieh Anabtawy6Jamal Qaddumi7Mohammed ALBashtawy8Ola Mousa9Faculty of Nursing, Arab American UniversityDepartment of Medical Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, University of HailFaculty of Nursing, Arab American UniversityFaculty of Nursing, Arab American UniversityFaculty of Nursing, Arab American UniversityFaculty of Nursing, Arab American UniversityFaculty of Nursing, Arab American UniversityFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National UniversityDepartment of Community and Mental Health Nursing, Princess Salma Faculty of Nursing, Al al‑Bayt UniversityDepartment of Woman’s Health, Faculty of Nursing, Minia UniversityAbstract Background Medical errors are a major concern for patient safety in healthcare institutions globally, making this a critical public health issue leading to significant problems, including increased hospital stays and higher mortality rates. Objectives This study aims to assess nursing students’ awareness of medical errors during their clinical internship. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 280 intern nursing students from the Arab American University in Palestine. A self-administered questionnaire, comprising 43 items across six subscales based on a medical error scale was used to collect data. The analysis was performed using SPSS version 29, with data collected during the Fall of semester 2024. Results The overall mean awareness score was 161 (SD = 75.34) out of a possible 215, with a mean item-level score of 3.74 (on a 5-point scale). Among the subscales, the highest mean score was observed in Care Practices (M = 4.06), while the lowest was in Patient Falls (M = 3.38). Approximately 39.6% of students reported medical errors, with 12.5% involving blood transfusion, 11.4% medication errors, and 20.1% categorized as other errors (e.g., needlestick injuries). The majority (65.7%) reported not committing any errors during their clinical practice. Conclusion The study suggests that intern nursing students have a low tendency to commit medical errors, which bodes well for the implementation of future patient safety protocols. These findings indicate that nursing students are becoming increasingly proficient in safe care practices, thereby reducing medical error rates, and enhancing patient safety in clinical settings. Clinical trial number Not applicablehttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07692-9AwarenessClinical internshipMedical errorsNursing student
spellingShingle Basma Salameh
Sameer A. Alkubati
Mayas Kassabry
Faeda Qtait
Bahaaeddin M. Hammad
Abeer Hussein
Rasmieh Anabtawy
Jamal Qaddumi
Mohammed ALBashtawy
Ola Mousa
Assessment of medical errors awareness among nursing students during their clinical internship: Palestinian perspectives
BMC Medical Education
Awareness
Clinical internship
Medical errors
Nursing student
title Assessment of medical errors awareness among nursing students during their clinical internship: Palestinian perspectives
title_full Assessment of medical errors awareness among nursing students during their clinical internship: Palestinian perspectives
title_fullStr Assessment of medical errors awareness among nursing students during their clinical internship: Palestinian perspectives
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of medical errors awareness among nursing students during their clinical internship: Palestinian perspectives
title_short Assessment of medical errors awareness among nursing students during their clinical internship: Palestinian perspectives
title_sort assessment of medical errors awareness among nursing students during their clinical internship palestinian perspectives
topic Awareness
Clinical internship
Medical errors
Nursing student
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07692-9
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