Evaluation of nursing students' awareness of patent privacy and the recording and protection of personal health data

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between nursing students entering clinical practice and their attitudes toward patient privacy awareness and the recording and protection of personal health data. Materials and Methods: The population of this descriptive study consisted of 380 students who began clinical practice in the Nursing Department of the Faculty of Health Sciences at a university in the 2024–2025 academic year, and the sample consisted of 288 students. The measurement tools used to collect data were the Personal Information Form, the Patient Privacy Scale, and the Attitude Scale for Nursing Students Regarding the Recording and Protection of Personal Health Data. Frequencies, means, and percentage distributions, t-tests for independent groups, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings: It was determined that 70.5% of the students were female, with an average age of 21.62. It was found that 70.8% of the students included in the study had received training on patient privacy, 75.3% had not read the patient rights regulations, and 70.8% had not received training on personal health data. The students' average patient confidentiality scale score was 123.96, and their average attitude scale score regarding the recording and protection of personal health data was 4.34. A positive and moderately significant relationship was found between students' attitudes toward patient confidentiality and the recording and protection of personal health data. Conclusion: It can be said that students' attitudes towards patient confidentiality and the protection of personal health data are positive. The scope of modules on confidentiality and the protection of personal health data in nursing education programs should be expanded, and their content should be made compliant with current legislation and international standards. Furthermore, it is believed that further research conducted with a larger sample size will contribute to a more comprehensive evaluation of the subject.