Interprofessional attitudes, empathy, communication skills, and patient safety competency in traditional Korean medicine and nursing students

Abstract

Patient safety competency is an essential part of health professions education and may be influenced by learners’ interprofessional attitudes, empathy, and communication skills. This study investigated the relationships among these variables and identified factors influencing patient safety competency among traditional Korean medicine and nursing students. A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted among 238 students at a university in South Korea, consisting of 150 nursing students and 88 traditional Korean medicine students. Data were collected using questionnaires assessing interprofessional attitudes, empathy, communication skills, and patient safety competency. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. Patient safety competency varied by academic year, patient safety education (PSE) experience, college life satisfaction, and major satisfaction. Students with clinical practicum (CP) experience demonstrated significantly higher interprofessional attitudes and patient safety competency than those without practicum experience. Patient safety competency was positively associated with interprofessional attitudes, empathy, and communication skills. Furthermore, PSE experience, major satisfaction, interprofessional attitudes, empathy, and communication skills were significant predictors of patient safety competency, with interprofessional attitudes identified as the strongest predictor. Patient safety competency among traditional Korean medicine and nursing students was influenced more by modifiable educational and interpersonal factors than by fixed background characteristics. These findings support the development of interprofessional, communication-centered, and empathy-informed patient safety curricula to enhance collaborative readiness and safe practice prior to entry into clinical settings.