A Survey on Safety Accidents in Clinical Practice of Nursing Students

Purpose: The purpose of this survey was to investigate the type of safety accidents experienced by nursing students during clinical practice in hospital and to determine the safety accident experiences according to the general characteristics of nursing students. Methods: The subjects of the study were 340 senior nursing students who experienced clinical practice of 9 nursing colleges in 7 regions of Korea. Data collection was done using the general characteristics and the safety accidents in clinical practice of nursing students tool that the researchers developed and took validity verification. Result: The most common safety accident in clinical practice was physical/psychological burnout, experienced by 111 students (32.6%). The second was psychological violence, experienced by 86(25.3%), and the third was needle stick/sharps Injuries, experienced by 63(18.5%). The fourth were musculoskeletal problems and sexual violence, each experienced by 43(12.6%). The occurrence of physical/ psychological burnout significantly differs depending on gender (χ2=16.40, p<.001), personality trait (χ2=7.03, p=.008), class lesson score (χ2=10.39, p=.006), university affiliated hospital (χ2=9.73, p=.002), health status (χ2=40.06, p<.001), and fatigue level (χ2=11.42, p=.003). The occurrence of traumatic injuries significantly differs depending on health status (χ2=11.89, p=.003). The occurrence of psychological violence significantly differs depending on personality traits (χ2=4.52, p=.033), health status (χ2=10.17, p=.006), and stress level (χ2=9.13, p=.010). Conclusion: In order to prevent and cope with safety accidents in clinical practice, universities and hospitals should have an organic relationship and provide education on accident prevention for nursing students, continuous monitoring of safety accidents, and develop in-hospital safety protocols for nursing students.