Medical Students’ Perceptions and Patient Safety Education in China Using the Medical Student Safety Attitudes and Professionalism Survey: Safety attitudes and behavioural intentions

Background Ensuring patient safety is a top priority among health administrators and in the medical communities of all WHO member countries. This study aimed to assess fourth-year medical students’ perceptions and experiences with cultural factors during clinical rotation to identify the medical school education needed to promote patient safety. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 615 fourth-year medical students at three medical universities in Heilongjiang Province, China, in 2016 using the Medical Student Safety Attitudes and Professionalism Survey (MSSAPS) questionnaire. Chi-squared for contingency tests compared the percentages of agreement to items across schools and regarding overall patient safety, patient safety behavioural intentions and five cultural dimensions. Spearman correlations assessed statistical associations. Results The five cultural dimensions positively and significantly related to perceptions of overall patient safety and patient safety behavioural intentions. Perceptions of patient safety were positive across the three medical schools. Agreement was almost universal with the following statement: ‘We followed standard operating procedures, guidelines, and protocols for the floor’ (99.5%), although 42.8% agreed that ‘A member of my team was rude and disrespectful to a patient or family member’. The respondents’ preferences for course content delivery were academic lecture, teaching in clinical rounds and case studies. The preferred course content was ‘ways to handle clinical risks’, ‘the causes of medical errors and the principles of risk prevention’ and ‘strengthening infection controls and reducing nosocomial infections. Conclusion Fourth-year students seemed willing to learn about this important issue. Policymakers should increase their focus on educational needs based on students’ clinical experiences and their emphasis on organizational problems related to error reporting to establish and implement appropriate patient safety education.