Factors contributing to adverse events occurring during the clinical rotation of nursing students in hospitals: A narrative review

Abstract

Background: Clinical rotation exposes nursing students to a variety of adverse events, some of which are a result of the nursing tasks  they are required to perform.

Objectives: The purpose of this narrative literature review was to explore and describe the factors contributing to adverse events  occurring during clinical rotations for nursing students in hospitals.

Setting: The study was conducted by reviewing all available global  literature on adverse events occurring during clinical rotations of nursing students in hospitals.

Method: A narrative literature review was  conducted using a purposive sampling technique to select databases. The following databases were searched for relevant literature,  namely: African Journal, EBSCOhost, MEDLINE, Nursing/Academic Edition, and Science Direct. The search terms used to  conduct the study were: “adverse events”, “contributing factors”, “clinical rotation”, “hospitals”, and “nursing students”. The literature  which met the inclusion criteria comprised international research in Sub-Saharan Africa and nationally between 2016 and 2022.

Results:  Four themes emerged: (i) environmental factors, (ii) psychological safety factors, (iii) management factors, and (iv) educational factors.  

Conclusion: It is imperative that adverse events be prevented using a systematic approach. This study provides recommendations for  future nursing studies, changes in nursing education, and practices for optimising patient safety.

Contribution: The findings of this study  would contribute to improving patient safety during the clinical rotations of nursing students in healthcare facilities.