A study, published in the American Journal of Nursing, examines whether prelicensure nursing programs have a policy and a tool for reporting and following up on clinical errors and near misses by students.
Researchers conducted a national electronic survey of 1,667 nursing schools with a prelicensure registered nursing program. They examined data from the 494 schools that responded.
Of the 494 schools, 50 percent reported having no policy for managing students following a clinical error or near miss, and 55 percent reported having no tool for reporting student errors or near misses.
"For nursing schools, some essential first steps are to understand the tools and policies a school has in place; the school's philosophy regarding errors and near misses; the resources needed to establish a fair and just culture; and how faculty can work together to create learning environments that eliminate or minimize the negative consequences of errors and near misses for patients, students, and faculty," study authors concluded.