Learning experiences and coping strategies of nursing students in the face of clinical errors

Background

Error reporting in clinical settings is a significant challenge for nursing students also understanding the nature of these errors is crucial for implementing corrective interventions that enhance patient safety.

Aim

This study investigates nursing students' learning experiences and coping strategies in the face of errors in clinical settings.

Methods

This research was a qualitative content analysis study. Participants were purposefully selected, and data were acquired through semi-structured interviews.

Results

Thirteen students participated in the study and five themes were extracted from the data analysis: causes of errors, emotional responses after errors, actions taken after errors, barriers to error reporting, and error prevention strategies.

Conclusions

The findings indicated several factors that contributed to the occurrence of clinical errors experienced by nursing students. Students may also resort to ineffective coping mechanisms and avoid reporting errors. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and implement measures to prevent clinical errors and create effective coping mechanisms in case of these errors to support nursing students and increase patient safety.