Nursing students' experiences of patient information protection during clinical practice: a qualitative study

Background Nursing students frequently access to patient information during clinical practice and face ethical challenges in protecting patient information. This study aimed to explore and describe nursing students' experiences of patient information protection during clinical practice. Methods A qualitative descriptive approach was employed to explore nursing students’ experiences of patient information protection during clinical practicum. Using convenience sampling, twenty-three nursing students were recruited from four nursing schools in South Korea. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and field notes until data were saturated. A qualitative content-analysis was conducted for data analysis. To ensure enhance trustworthiness of the data, this study followed four criteria for rigor. Results Four themes emerged from the data analysis. Nursing students experienced awareness of the importance of patient information, failure to practice patient information protection, inappropriate use of information for assignments, and need for education on patient information protection. Conclusion Nursing students recognized gaps between their awareness and practice in terms of patient confidentiality. They reported the need for more structured and practical education on patient information protection. This study provides valuable data for developing strategies for patient information protection. Future research need to develop better pedagogical strategies to improve students’ protection of patient information during clinical practicum.