Criminal responsibilities of nurses in Turkish criminal law and determining the awareness levels of senior nursing students regarding this responsibility

Abstract

Abstract Background It is noteworthy that there is an increase in medical lawsuits filed against nurses in Turkey and in the rest of the world. The purpose of this article is to examine nurses’ criminal liability and senior nursing students’ awareness of these responsibilities. Methods All senior students (n = 309) of the Faculty of Nursing who were studying in the 2020–2021 academic year of the university constituted the population of the research. The study was completed with 300 students who were studying between the dates of the research and who agreed to participate in the research. Data was collected online via Google Forms. The data obtained from the research was analyzed with the program SPSS 20. Numbers and percentages, averages, and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the data. Results This article provides an overview of nurses’ criminal liability and senior nursing students’ awareness of these responsibilities. The article offers striking implications regarding the awareness of trainee nurses who have not yet started their careers regarding the criminal liability of nurses. Conclusion The result of our research clearly revealed that the majority of senior nursing students have insufficient knowledge about professional criminal responsibilities, that they are not aware of their duties, powers, and criminal responsibilities as defined in legislation, and that they do not know the types of criminal responsibilities.

Keywords

• Nurse
• Criminal liability
• Medical error
• Criminal law
• Awareness