Skip to main content

Table 2 Results for individual items in means ± standard deviation (SD) with a maximum score of 7 as well as the percentage of positive responses

From: Undergraduate medical students’ attitudes towards medical errors and patient safety: a multi-center cross-sectional study in the Gaza Strip, Palestine

Item

Mean (±SD)

% of positive responses

S1_Patient safety general

4.7 (1.0)

 

Most harm to patients is unavoidable (R)

4.0 (1.6)

39.6

When things go wrong, learning from error is more important than disciplining individuals

5.3 (1.5)

70.7

S2_Patient safety training received to date

4.5 (1.2)

 

My training is preparing me to understand the cause of errors

4.5 (1.5)

54.7

I have a good understanding of patient safety as a result of my training

4.8 (1.4)

68.6

My training is preparing me to prevent medical errors

4.2 (1.5)

46.7

S3_Error reporting confidence

4.3 (1.3)

 

I would feel comfortable reporting any errors I had made no matter how serious the outcome had been for the patient

5.0 (4.1)

51.5

I would feel comfortable reporting any errors other people had made, no matter how serious the outcome had been for the patient

4.0 (1.7)

39.9

I am confident I could talk openly to my supervisor about an error I had made if it had resulted in potential or actual harm to my patient

5.0 (1.6)

57.7

S4_Error _inevitability

5.0 (0.8)

 

Human error is inevitable

5.9 (1.6)

82

Very experienced health professionals make errors

5.8 (1.4)

85.2

The clinical environment can cause errors

5.7 (1.3)

82.5

If people paid more attention to work, medical errors would be avoided (R)

2.6 (1.4)

10.7

S5_Professional incompetence as a cause of error

4.2 (1.2)

 

Medical errors are a sign of incompetence (R)

5.1 (1.6)

65.7

Most medical errors result from careless health professionals (R)

3.5 (1.6)

25.4

S6_Disclosure responsibility

4.5 (1.2)

 

Doctors have a responsibility to disclose errors to patients only if they result in harm (R)

3.8 (1.8)

33.7

All medical errors should be reported

5.0 (1.6)

65.4

It is not necessary to report errors which do not result in harm for the patient (R)

4.8 (1.7)

59.2

S7_Team functioning

4.9 (0.8)

 

For optimum safety cooperation, sharing of information is crucial

6.0 (1.4)

87.9

Junior members of a team should think carefully before speaking up about patient safety (R)

2.9 (1.7)

18.3

The safest teams are those, where different professional groups learn from and with each other

5.9 (1.3)

84.3

S8_Patient role in error management

4.5 (0.8)

 

Patients have an important role in preventing medical errors

4.8 (1.5)

64.4

Actively seeking feedback from patients about quality and safety of care is important for patient safety.

5.5 (1.4)

77.8

Patients are not aware of how safe their care is (R)

3.2 (1.4)

17.8

S9_Importance of patient safety in the curriculum

5.0 (0.9)

 

Teaching students about patient safety should be an important priority in training undergraduates

5.9 (1.4)

85.2

Learning about patient safety issues before I qualify will enable me to become a more effective doctor/nurse

5.5 (15)

79.3

Patient safety issues cannot be taught and can only be learned through clinical experience when qualified

3.5 (1.8)

31.7

S10_Situational awareness

5.6 (1.1)

 

Being on the look-out for potential risks can be detrimental to patient safety (R).

4.7 (1.8)

57.4

Planning together to deal with problems that may arise is important for patient safety

5.9 (1.4)

85.5

Understanding the roles and responsibilities of every member of the team is important for patient safety

6.1 (1.3)

89.1

Overall Score (max 7)

4.7 (0.5)

 
  1. (R) Reversed scored item