Medical students’ attitudes toward patient safety and medical error reporting in Syria
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Patient safety is a core competency in medical education, yet evidence from conflict-affected and low-resource settings remains limited. This study assessed patient safety attitudes among undergraduate medical students in Syria and identified predictors of overall attitudes and error reporting behavior. METHODS: A multi-center cross-sectional survey was conducted among medical students from four Syrian universities using the Attitudes to Patient Safety Questionnaire-III (APSQ-III). Descriptive statistics, group comparisons, hierarchical regression, and binary logistic regression were performed. RESULTS: Of 1,342 students, the mean APSQ-III score was 4.8 ± 0.67 (positive attitudes). Highest scores were observed for team functioning and working hours as error cause; lowest for professional incompetence as error cause. Although 38.5% witnessed a medical error, only 11.0% reported it. Higher overall attitudes were independently associated with female gender, higher GPA, pre-clinical stage, and having reported an error. Error reporting was predicted by female gender, clinical stage, higher GPA, and higher scores in error reporting confidence and disclosure responsibility. CONCLUSION: Syrian medical students hold positive patient safety attitudes, but a substantial gap exists in error reporting behavior. Strengthening longitudinal safety education, systems thinking, and supportive non-punitive environments may bridge this gap.
Source: BMC Medical Education
Authors: Aya Alkhdr, Ahmad Al-Bitar, Ibrahim Aljnide, Jawad Jalloul, Ali borji, M. Eyad Chatty
Institution: Damascus University
Language: English
Subfield: Emergency Medical Services
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,990
OpenAlex ID: W7153039788