ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICES REGARDING PATIENT SAFETY AMONG UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS IN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC COLLEGES OF KARACHI, PAKISTAN.
Keywords:
Patient safety, nursing students, knowledge, attitude, practice.Abstract
Background: Patient safety is a critical aspect of healthcare, aiming to minimize preventable harm. Nurses play a vital role in ensuring patient safety, yet limited research explores how nursing education prepares nursing students to maintain patient safety and prevent from any sentinel events in the hospital.
Objectives: To assess nursing students’ knowledge, attitudes, and their practices related to patient safety in their clinical settings.
Methodology: A analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 323 undergraduate nursing students from public and private colleges in Karachi. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed statistically to compare KAP scores across gender, marital status, year of study, and clinical exposure.
Results: Female and married students had significantly higher knowledge scores (p = 0.013, p = 0.044). Students in public hospitals demonstrated better knowledge and practices than those in private settings (p = 0.018, p = 0.049). Knowledge increased with academic progression (p = 0.009), but attitudes and practices showed no significant variation. Besides, an anova also revealed a statistically significant difference in knowledge scores across the years of study it meant that patient safety progresses as nursing students progress in to their nursing education.
Conclusion: Structured training is essential to improving students’ attitudes and practices. Integrating patient safety education into the nursing curriculum can enhance competencies and promote a patient safety.
