The relationship between nurses' patient advocacy attitudes and tendency to medical error

Patient advocacy is an indispensable aspect of professional nursing ethics and a modern responsibility of nurses. It is an integral part of the nursing education curriculum. A patient advocate is a crucial resource for patients, providing assistance in navigating the complex landscape of healthcare. They work with doctors, insurance companies, employers, and lawyers to ensure that patients receive the best possible care. By resolving issues and protecting patients from external factors, patient advocates play a vital role in improving patient outcomes. It is important to note that medical errors are a significant problem in healthcare, and are unfortunately a leading cause of death according to statistics. The literature unequivocally establishes that nursing practices play a significant role in medical errors. As crucial employees, nurses possess the ability to both cause and prevent medical errors and their effects. This study definitively investigates the relationship between nurses' 'patient advocacy attitude' and their 'tendency to medical errors'. The research was meticulously conducted on 274 nurses working in a training and research hospital in Ankara. To assess patient advocacy attitudes, we confidently utilized a Turkish scale based on the 'Protective Patient Advocacy Scale in Nursing' developed by Hanks (2010a). Additionally, we employed the 'Medical Error Proneness in Nursing Scale' developed by Özata and Altunkan (2010b) to confidently evaluate the tendency towards medical errors. The measurements and analyses conducted using both scales demonstrate a clear relationship between nurses' 'patient advocacy attitudes' and their 'tendency to medical errors'. The research unequivocally indicates that nurses who act as patient advocates are significantly less likely to make medical errors.