Patient Safety Competencies and their Association With Evidence-Based Practice Among Nursing Students A Multi-Country Study

Background: Patient safety (PS) is a cornerstone of nursing education, yet evidence on how PS competencies relate to evidence-based practice (EBP) among nursing students remains limited. This study examined PS competencies and their association with EBP across 3 Middle Eastern countries. Aim: To assess levels of PS competencies among undergraduate nursing students, compare results across demographic and academic groups, and evaluate EBP as a predictor of PS. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 615 undergraduate nursing students from 4 universities in Oman, Jordan, and Egypt. Participants completed validated tools measuring PS and EBP competencies. Results: Overall PS competence was moderate (M = 152.1, SD = 28.1). Among subscales, skills scored the highest, followed by attitudes, while knowledge was lowest. EBP competencies were also moderate and significantly correlated with PS (r = .59, P < .001). Regression analysis showed that EBP was the strongest predictor of PS (B = 0.71, P < .001), explaining 34.8% of the variance in scores. Conclusions: Nursing students across 3 countries demonstrated moderate PS and EBP competencies, with notable gaps in safety knowledge. The strong predictive role of EBP highlights the need to integrate both domains into curricula to better prepare students for safe, evidence-based practice.