PATIENT SAFETY IN INITIAL NURSING EDUCATION: ATTITUDES, PROFILES, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING

Abstract

This chapter presents an expanded analysis of the profile, attitudes, and perceptions of incoming nursing students regarding patient safety, grounded in the findings of the master’s dissertation. Based on the investigation of four consecutive cohorts (2021–2024), the study reveals that students begin their undergraduate training with heterogeneous beliefs, often shaped by idealized notions of care and individual attributions of error. The results highlight weaknesses related to confidence in error reporting, understanding of the inevitability of human fallibility, and recognition of systemic causes underlying adverse events. Significant differences between cohorts suggest that external factors—such as the pandemic context, social narratives, and generational changes—directly influence initial safety attitudes. Psychometric analysis demonstrated that the 30-item APSQ-3 version offers greater robustness for assessing these perceptions, capturing essential nuances for health-care education. Findings reinforce the importance of early pedagogical strategies, integrated curricula, and learning approaches that promote psychological safety, just culture, and systemic understanding of care. By identifying attitudinal patterns prior to clinical exposure, this chapter contributes to designing educational interventions capable of strengthening the patient safety culture from the beginning of nursing education.