Identification the Level of Tendency in Malpractıce among Midwife and Nurse Interns

Aim: The study aims to determine the level of proneness to malpractice among nursing and midwifery interns. Method: The sample of this descriptive and analytical study consisted of 120 intern students studying in their senior year in the nursing and midwifery department of a public university who volunteered to participate in the study. Data was collected using the Student Identification Form and the “Malpractice Trend Scale in Nursing”. Results: In the study, the average total score from the “Malpractice Trend Scale in Nursing” was found to be 4.35±0.47, and the tendencies of the intern nurses to perform medical errors were found to be low. The highest average score the nurses took regarding the sub dimensions of the scale was in medicine and transfusion practices and the lowest average scores were in the communication and prevention of falling sub dimensions. Intern nurses stated their reasons for medical error tendency as too much workload (86.7%) and lack of professional information (63.3%). Additionally, it was found that the tendency for medical error wasn’t affected by gender or the type of high school the student graduated from, and that interns who received midwifery education had a lower tendency for medical error than nursing students. Conclusion and Suggestions: The nursing interns were found to have a low tendency to perform medical errors. Since the students had a higher tendency for error in the prevention of falling and communication fields, it is suggested that these subjects should be reviewed in curricula regarding patient safety and medical errors, given more weight in such programs, and followed more carefully during clinical practice by both teaching staff and clinical nurses.