Abstract
Objective To examine the relationship between nurses' sleep quality and their tendency to commit
medical errors.
Materials and Methods The research was conducted in a state hospital, a private hospital, and a university
hospital in a province located in the west region of Turkey (n = 378 nurses) between
September 2020 and October 2021. Data was collected using a sociodemographic data
form, the Medical Error Tendency Scale in Nursing (METSN), and the Pittsburgh Sleep
Quality Index (PSQI). Verbal and written consent were obtained from the nurses who
participated in the study. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews.
Results The mean score of the nurses was of 8.25 ± 4.81 on the PSQI and of 230.29 ± 14.15
on the METSN. A significant difference was found regarding age, marital status, level
of schooling, weekly working hours, and the shift schedule of nurses and their sleep
quality (p < 0.001). A significant difference was found regarding age, marital status, level
of schooling, the hospital the nurses worked in, and the tendency to commit medical
errors (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant negative and moderate correlation
between the PSQI and METSN scores (p < 0.001; r = −0.548).
Conclusion The tendency of nurses to commit medical errors was determined as low, and their
sleep quality was poor. We have also determined that, as the sleep quality worsened,
the tendency of nurses to commit medical errors increased.
Keywords
sleep quality - work hours - nurses
