Characterization of adverse events occurring during nursing clinical rotations: A descriptive study

Introduction: Patient safety is a pillar of quality health care. Nursing students may commit errors during clinical practice, compromising patient safety. Objective: Analyze the adverse events, as well as the factors associated with the errors, reported by students from a private university in Santiago, Chile during nursing clinical rotations. Methods: Quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study. A total of 68 errors by first- through fifth-year nursing students were reported between 2012 and 2018. The data collection instrument was the Adverse Events Notification Form from the School of Nursing. This form documented information about the study as well as about the event. Results: After this reporting system was established in 2012, the number of events reported increased steadily each year. The greatest numbers of reported errors were committed by fifth-year students (73.5%), and the most common type of error was associated with medication administration (94.2%), including incorrect dose (27.9%) and incorrect medication (17.6%). The major factors contributing to errors were failure to review the “10 rights of medication administration” (85.3%) or lack of critical judgment (7.4%). Most of the errors occurred in public institutions (72.1%). Conclusion: The results suggest that it would be beneficial to re-evaluate how safety and quality of care are taught at the school of nursing, with an emphasis on understanding the learning styles of students and teaching strategies of instructors. It is crucial that the academic institution remain actively involved in teaching safety-related skills to future nursing professionals. Furthermore, we suggest modifications to the adverse events reporting system that would avoid the need for personal interpretations of the event by the student.