KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PERCEPTION OF HEALTHCARE ERRORS AMONG NURSING STUDENTS OF EDO STATE UNIVERSITY, POSTED TO EDO STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, AUCHI

Background to the study Healthcare errors also known as medical errors have been a persistent concern in the healthcare industry, posing significant risks to patient safety and well-being. Medical error is an act of omission or commission in planning or execution of care that contributes or could contribute to an unintended result (Grober & Bohnen, 2020). Globally, the prevalence of Health care errors and its associated cost has been estimated at 44 billion US dollars annually which is almost 1% of the world's health expenditure (WHO, 2020). As frontline caregivers, nurses play a critical role in patient care, making their knowledge, attitude, and perception of healthcare errors of paramount importance. The healthcare sector, despite its continuous advancements, grapples with the ever-present threat of healthcare errors. A healthcare error can be defined as any preventable event or omission that results in harm to the patient, whether it is through an action taken or a failure to take action (Institute of Medicine, 2020). These errors encompass a wide range of mistakes, including medication errors, diagnostic errors, surgical errors, communication breakdowns, and system-related failures. Healthcare errors can result from various factors, including human factors, system failures, and communication breakdowns (Carayon et al., 2018). In Nigeria, healthcare errors have been documented in both public and private healthcare settings, leading to adverse events that could have been prevented.