Nurses’ level of self-awareness in clinical practice is a significant predictor of their tendency to commit medical errors, according to a cross-sectional study. Evaluating nursing staff in an institutional setting, researchers observed that the participating nurses exhibited a moderate level of self-awareness alongside a low overall medical error tendency.
The study was designed to investigate the relationship between nurses’ self-awareness levels and their tendency toward medical errors during professional practice. Within clinical settings, self-awareness is considered vital in helping nurses cope with negative situations encountered in their daily work life and in establishing a healthier working environment.
The study population comprised nurses working at the Amasya Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin Training and Research Hospital, which had an overall population of 450 nurses. A total of 252 nurses voluntarily agreed to participate and completed the cross-sectional research protocol.
Data collection was carried out using three structured assessment tools: a Personal Information Form, the Self-Awareness in Nursing Practice Scale, and the Medical Error Tendency Scale in Nursing. The research methodology and findings were formally documented using the STROBE reporting guidelines.
The collected data were evaluated using descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, one-way ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis H tests, Pearson correlation analysis, and the Enter model of multiple linear regression. The multiple linear regression analysis confirmed that self-awareness served as a significant predictor of medical error tendency, with the conscientious, professional, and personal awareness sub-dimensions positively predicting medical error tendency scores.
In response to the association identified across conscientious, professional, and personal awareness dimensions, the authors indicated that healthcare institutions could plan training and practical exercises to enhance these specific areas of awareness. Developing self-awareness allows nurses to manage their attention, emotions, stress levels, knowledge, and behaviors more consciously, supporting patient safety in high-risk areas such as emergency interventions, patient monitoring, and medication administration.
In the analytical design of the study, the investigators structured nurses’ self-awareness in nursing practice as the independent variable and medical error tendency as the dependent variable. Utilizing the Enter model for multiple linear regression alongside Pearson correlation analysis, the evaluation examined how specific facets of awareness related to error scores, determining that the conscientious, professional, and personal awareness sub-dimensions each positively predicted nurses’ medical error tendency.
Addressing the implications for clinical practice and patient care, the researchers noted that nurses with high self-awareness act in a more conscious and controllable manner because they maintain active awareness of their attention, emotions, stress levels, knowledge levels, and behaviors. This self-regulation supports the delivery of more reliable care in clinical domains with elevated error risks, specifically identifying medication administration, patient monitoring, and emergency interventions as key areas where enhanced awareness can reduce error tendency and improve patient safety.
The cross-sectional investigation was completed among 252 voluntary participants from an institutional population of 450 nurses at Amasya Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin Training and Research Hospital, with study methodology documented under the STROBE reporting checklist and clinical trial registration designated as not applicable. Drawing on the demonstrated relationships between medical error tendency and conscientious, professional, and personal awareness, the authors concluded that healthcare organizations should plan training and practical exercises specifically aimed at increasing these dimensions of self-awareness in nursing practice.
The analytical framework specifically examined how discrete sub-dimensions of clinical self-awareness relate to professional practice. Rather than assessing self-awareness exclusively as a single aggregate metric, the investigation evaluated conscientious awareness, professional awareness, and personal awareness as independent variables. In the multiple linear regression analysis, each of these three sub-dimensions positively predicted nurses’ medical error tendency.
From a practical perspective, understanding these specific awareness dimensions offers useful context for healthcare administration and professional nursing development. Because nurses with high self-awareness are cognizant of their attention, emotions, stress levels, knowledge levels, and behaviors, they can act in a more conscious and controllable manner during clinical care. The researchers highlighted that this heightened awareness is especially critical in areas characterized by high error risks, including medication administration, patient monitoring, and emergency interventions.
Subject of Research: Nurse self-awareness and medical error tendency
Article Title: Relationship between nurses’ self-awareness in nursing practice and medical error tendency: a cross-sectional study
Article References: Gözükara, F., & ER, F. (2026). Relationship between nurses’ self-awareness in nursing practice and medical error tendency: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-05601-z
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1186/s12912-026-05601-z
Keywords: nursing practice, self-awareness, medical errors, patient safety, cross-sectional study, hospital nursing, clinical practice, healthcare quality, Relationship, between, nurses, nursing
News Source: Ophelia Keating. (November 9, 2026). Study Analyzes Link Between Nurse Self-Awareness and Medical Error Tendency. Scienmag.
