Investigation of the Relationship Between Nursing Students’ Teamwork Aptitude and Their Avoidance of Medical Error in Surgical Patient Care

Objective: Impaired teamwork between healthcare professionals in the surgical patient care is considered to be one of the major causes of medical errors in perioperative process. However, scientific data on the relationship between teamwork aptitude and ability to avoid medical error in surgical patient care is limited. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between student nurses' teamwork aptitude and their ability to avoid medical errors in the care of surgical patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 492 nursing students. They were surveyed using the teamwork aptitude scale and a researcher-designed instrument to assess avoidance of medical errors in surgical care. Correlation analysis was used to assess the relationship between teamwork aptitude and medical error prevention. To identify significant predictors associated with medical error avoidance, multiple linear regression analysis was used. Results: There was a significant relationship between teamwork aptitude and avoidance of medical errors (r=0.332, p<0.001). Teamwork aptitude (β=0.309, p<0.001), gender (β=0.091, p=0.030) and reason for choosing nursing (β=0.142, p=0.001) were found to significantly predict the level of avoidance of medical errors in surgical patient care. Conclusions: The development of teamwork skills in nursing students as part of the educational process can contribute to a reduction in medical errors in perioperative process and thus an increase in the quality of surgical patient care.