Undergraduate nursing students’ perspective on patient safety and missed care
Date Issued
February 2021
Abstract
Background: There is evidence that patient safety in nursing curriculums is not well
incorporated. This does not to allow students to develop strong competences to
support patient safety throughout their professional life.
Aims: To explore the perspectives of undergraduate nursing students, among Greece
and Cyprus populations, regarding their knowledge and attitudes on patient safetyrelated issues and missed care.
Methods: A descriptive comparative study was conducted with third and fourth-year
undergraduate nursing students from Cyprus (n=243) and Greece (n=481). All
students were surveyed using the a) 34-item Health Professional Education Patient
safety Survey (H-PEPSS) to describe students’ knowledge in the classroom and
clinical setting and b) the 23-items Health Care Professionals Patient safety
Assessment Curriculum survey (HPPSACS), which evaluates attitudes and c) a brief
questionnaire to explore their understanding of missed care.
Results: Students’ knowledge about patient safety was expressed significantly higher
(p< 0.001) in classroom (mean=4.0), comparing to the clinical setting (3.7) (1-5 scale).
The knowledge in the dimension “clinical aspects” was valued the highest and the
dimension “Working in teams” was valued the lowest. Regarding the attitudes, the
lower was reported in the topic “denial” (mean 2.1) (1-5 scale). Also, differences were
recorded between countries with Cyprus reported higher level of knowledge than
Greece students in most of dimensions. One third of all the students reported body
hygiene as missed care incident
Conclusions: The findings indicated the gap between theory and practice and the need
of collaboration of the two settings. Also, the highest score in “Clinical aspects” (in both
settings) reflect the fact the nursing education tend to cite on technical issues, whereas
fewer tend to the more sociocultural aspects of patient safety.
Relevance for nursing science in Europe: Under the absence of EU directives or
curriculum guidelines on how patient safety training to be incorporated into the
curriculum, study reveals important points, both theoretically and clinically, about
patient safety training in two EU countries. Further research to define and update the
syllabus is needed, to ensure pre-registration nursing students become engaged and
therefore prepared to sustain a culture of safety.
incorporated. This does not to allow students to develop strong competences to
support patient safety throughout their professional life.
Aims: To explore the perspectives of undergraduate nursing students, among Greece
and Cyprus populations, regarding their knowledge and attitudes on patient safetyrelated issues and missed care.
Methods: A descriptive comparative study was conducted with third and fourth-year
undergraduate nursing students from Cyprus (n=243) and Greece (n=481). All
students were surveyed using the a) 34-item Health Professional Education Patient
safety Survey (H-PEPSS) to describe students’ knowledge in the classroom and
clinical setting and b) the 23-items Health Care Professionals Patient safety
Assessment Curriculum survey (HPPSACS), which evaluates attitudes and c) a brief
questionnaire to explore their understanding of missed care.
Results: Students’ knowledge about patient safety was expressed significantly higher
(p< 0.001) in classroom (mean=4.0), comparing to the clinical setting (3.7) (1-5 scale).
The knowledge in the dimension “clinical aspects” was valued the highest and the
dimension “Working in teams” was valued the lowest. Regarding the attitudes, the
lower was reported in the topic “denial” (mean 2.1) (1-5 scale). Also, differences were
recorded between countries with Cyprus reported higher level of knowledge than
Greece students in most of dimensions. One third of all the students reported body
hygiene as missed care incident
Conclusions: The findings indicated the gap between theory and practice and the need
of collaboration of the two settings. Also, the highest score in “Clinical aspects” (in both
settings) reflect the fact the nursing education tend to cite on technical issues, whereas
fewer tend to the more sociocultural aspects of patient safety.
Relevance for nursing science in Europe: Under the absence of EU directives or
curriculum guidelines on how patient safety training to be incorporated into the
curriculum, study reveals important points, both theoretically and clinically, about
patient safety training in two EU countries. Further research to define and update the
syllabus is needed, to ensure pre-registration nursing students become engaged and
therefore prepared to sustain a culture of safety.