The Effect of Earthquake‐Related Anxiety Level on Nurses' Potential for Medical Errors: A Cross‐Sectional Study on the Disaster of the Century in Turkey

AIM: The study was planned to examine the effect of nurses' earthquake anxiety levels on their tendency to make medical errors. DESIGN: The research was conducted as a descriptive and cross-sectional study. METHODS: The research was conducted with 172 nurses who worked in Adiyaman Training and Research Hospital, Turkey, between 25 September 2023 and 20 February 2024. The data of the study were collected with the 'Personal Information Form', 'Earthquake Anxiety Scale' and 'Medical Error Tendency Scale'. Number, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used in the statistical analysis of the data. The t-test was applied for the comparisons of two independent groups, and the ANOVA test was applied for the comparisons of more than two groups. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between the scales. p < 0.05 was accepted as the significance level. RESULTS: In the study, the Earthquake Anxiety Scale total mean score was found to be 110.49 ± 39.66 (medium level), and the Medical Error Tendency Scale total mean score was found to be 225.74 ± 16.73. It was determined that the anxiety levels of nurses working in intensive care were significantly higher than nurses working in internal, surgical and emergency services (p < 0.05). In addition, the Medical Error Tendency Scale's subscales of patient monitoring and material safety mean scores were found to be statistically significantly different between nurses working on mixed (day-night) shifts compared to nurses working on day shifts (p < 0.05). It was determined that there was a statistically significant weak and positive correlation between the Earthquake Anxiety Scale and the hospital infection subscale of the Medical Error Tendency Scale (p < 0.05). It was determined that there was no statistically significant correlation between the total mean scores of the Earthquake Anxiety Scale and the Medical Error Tendency Scale (p > 0.05). PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This study's findings were significantly shaped by the contributions of the nurses who experienced the earthquake and volunteered their time and experiences. Their input was invaluable in understanding the impact of earthquake-related anxiety on their professional performance and potential for medical errors. The participants provided critical insights that informed the study's conclusions and recommendations, which aim to improve support systems and reduce medical errors in disaster-prone regions. The engagement and openness of these nurses underscore the importance of frontline healthcare workers' perspectives in research that seeks to enhance. CONCLUSIONS: In the present research, it was found that nurses were moderately affected by the earthquake. Depending on this result, it can be recommended to determine the anxiety level of nurses who experienced an earthquake, to provide guidance and consultancy services accordingly, to increase awareness of medical errors to prevent medical errors, to provide in-service training on patient safety and error reporting systems and to constantly evaluate them.