Pediatric Nurses’ Attitudes Regarding Malpractice Tendencies and Patient Safety Culture: A Case of Turkey

Abstract

Patient safety and medical errors are among the most discussed topics in recent years. Identifying and reporting medical errors is one of the most significant steps toward the adoption of measures to increase patient safety. Pediatric nurses provide care to children, which is why they play an essential role in preventing medical errors and ensuring patient safety. This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted to determine the relationship between pediatrics nurse's malpractice tendencies and patient safety culture in Turkey. The study was conducted in the pediatric clinics of a university hospital and a public hospital in a metropolis in the northern region of Turkey. The study population included 142 nurses. A 'Nurse Information Form', a 'Patient Safety Culture Scale (PSCS)', and a 'Malpractice Tendency Scale in Nursing (MTSN)' were used to collect information. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 16 program, descriptive statistics, Independent Two-Sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey test, Tamhane test, Mann Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis test and Pearson correlation tests. Nurses who had a master's degree, made a medical error, and observed medical errors made by another colleague had a higher mean MTSN score (p<0.05). Nurses aged 46 and older, with a master's degree, that worked in the pediatric unit as a manager had a higher total mean PSCS score (p<0.05). A positive and significant relationship was found between total mean PSCS and MTSN scores. This study found that pediatric nurses' level of malpractice tended to be low and their level of patient safety culture perceptions high, which is significant in terms of quality of patient care.