Ocorrência de eventos adversos decorrentes da assistência à saúde envolvendo graduandos de enfermagem no ambiente hospitalar

Abstract

Introduction: The occurrence of adverse events in healthcare can be prevented or mitigated through the involvement of the entire healthcare team, especially those still in training. Specifically, students require close monitoring because they are undergoing training and skill acquisition, which increases the potential risk of adverse events. Objective: To determine the occurrence of adverse events among nursing undergraduates from public universities within a hospital setting. Methodology: This is a multicenter, cross-sectional study, approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, registered under number 7.028.233, and supervised in nursing programs at four public universities in three Brazilian states, identified by codes A, B, C, and D. The study population consisted of nursing undergraduates undergoing internships within a hospital setting. Data collection was performed by completing a validated and structured questionnaire on self-report, knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the occurrence of adverse events. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics using measures of central tendency and dispersion for quantitative variables, while qualitative variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. Results: A total of 384 trainees participated in the study, the majority of whom were female (87.4%), single (94%), and had a mean age of 24 years (19-56 years), from the 4th to the 10th semesters of their internship in a hospital environment. The majority (87.3%) of the students demonstrated knowledge about the study topic. By 58 (15.8%) students, 161 types of adverse events were reported related to medication administration (26.1%), communication (19.9%), patient identification (16.1%), infection (10.6%), injury (9.9%), invasive therapeutic devices (6.8%), safe surgery (6.2%), patient fall (2.5%), and enteral feeding (0.6%). Regarding feelings after the adverse event, 84.5% reported concern. Regarding attitude, 84.5% reported the incident to their preceptor. The most significant factor contributing to the event was communication failure (56.9%). Twelve students (20.7%) reported the event, mostly through the electronic system. Those who did not report the event (63%) stated lack of knowledge about reporting. Fear was identified as the main contributing factor to underreporting. Although 20.7% reported the event, only 37.8% considered themselves prepared to identify, manage, and report adverse events; and 88.7% indicated that including a specific course on the topic would be the best way to prepare them. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the level of knowledge students have on this topic is essential for enabling them to identify, manage and report adverse events, supporting the discussion on patient safety and highlighting the need for close attention to professional training.