Nursing and Midwifery Students' Patient Safety Knowledge and Competencies in the Classroom and Clinical Settings and its Predictors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To investigate nursing and midwifery students' patient safety knowledge and competencies in the classroom and clinical settings and its predictors. Material and Methods: The data of this cross-sectional study were collected from 318 nursing and midwifery students studying at the health sciences faculty of a state university between November and December 2021, using a descriptive information form and the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey. Number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values were calculated in the data analysis, and independent-samples t test, one-way ANOVA, and regression analysis were used. Results: Nursing students' mean scores of the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey were 3.88±0.50 in the classroom, 3.78±0.52 in the clinic and 4.05±0.48, 3.98±0.49 in midwifery students, respectively. Midwifery students' classroom and clinic mean scores were statistically higher than nursing students' mean scores (p=0.002; p=0.001). Moreover, there were statistically significant differences between nursing and midwifery students' mean scores in the 2 dimensions and all sub-dimensions except for the 'Culture of safety' sub-dimension (p≤0.05). Finally, it was determined that the variables of students' age, grade, department and patient safety competency level affected students' patient safety knowledge and competencies. Conclusion: Nursing and midwifery students' perception of patient safety knowledge and competencies were found to be above average. In addition, nursing and midwifery students' perceptions of patient safety knowledge were higher than their perceptions of patient safety competencies.