The effect of the clinical nurses’ compassion levels on tendency to make medical error: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Compassion is considered the cornerstone of nursing practices and professionalism. However, a decrease in compassion may increase medical errors and adversely affect patient safety. AIMS: The study was conducted to determine clinical nurses' compassion levels and their tendency to make medical errors, and to find whether their compassion levels affect their tendency to make medical errors. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational design was used. The study was conducted with 309 nurses working at a university hospital. The study data were collected by using the Compassion Scale and Medical Error Tendency Scale in Nursing. RESULTS: = .000). CONCLUSION: The nurses' tendency to make medical errors decreased as their compassion levels increased, and that compassion was an important predictor of tendency to make medical errors.