Objective

To identify conditions and experiences about the patient safety in the academic practices of the Occupational therapy program of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Methods

Descriptive cross-sectional study, with a sample composed of 29 students of academic practices of the program Occupational Therapy. A survey about safe customer assistance (electronic version) was designed and applied. The survey was rigorously validated and reviewed by experts. Each student gave consent to carry out the survey.

Results

The patients' falls are the ones that most frequently escape from the report or register on the practice area (47.1 % never report them). Despite that, falls are the most reported issue among other events (41.1 %). To a lesser extent, students always report incidents related to documentation and registration; equipment and health care devices (21.5 % and 28.6 %, respectively). In these two categories it is more prevalent to find several students who often report what actually happen (46.4 % in both cases).

Discussion

It is necessary to advance in the investigation of the causes and co sequences of events that affect the patient's safety in student practices, also in the provision of improvement measures that are efficient along with impact they have when implemented. Efforts are needed to transform the potential punitive perception that may be on the follow-up of measures track for patient safety. All the foregoing may be explaining part of the considerable under-reporting of incidents documented in the literature, in turn, going along with the findings of this study.