Objective: With the growing recognition of the significance of patient safety (PS) in educational institutions and health organizations, it is essential to understand the perspective of nursing students on their own PS competence. This study analyzed the self-reported PS competence of nursing students at a government university in Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: A cross-sectional self-reported survey of 191 respondents, using the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS) was conducted. The survey tool reflected 6 key socio-cultural dimensions assessing competence in classroom and clinical setting.
Results: Female nursing students reported higher PS competence in both the classroom and clinical settings along the dimensions 'working in teams' and 'communicating effectively' while males reported higher competence in both settings as to the 'managing safety risks' and 'understanding human and environmental factors' dimensions. The respondents' academic level and self-reported PS competence have weak negative correlation in the classroom while a strong negative correlation between the 2 variables existed in the clinical setting. Self-reported PS competence for the dimensions 'working in teams', 'recognize and respond to remove immediate risks of harm', and 'culture of safety' is significantly higher in classroom than in the clinical setting.
Conclusion: Generally, the Saudi nursing students reported varying levels of competence in the six dimensions of patient safety. Significant gap between the perceived PS competence was observed between learning settings. Educational and training interventions are suggested for implementation to bridge this gap.
Keywords: Nursing students; Patient safety; Patient safety competence; Saudi Arabia.