"Patients refuse my clinical nursing procedures"-a qualitative study in China.

OBJECTIVE: This study was to understand the experiences of nursing students in vocational colleges whose clinical nursing procedures were refused by patients, providing reference for the management of nursing students. METHODS: Using purposive sampling, nursing students and patients were recruited at a certain tertiary hospital in Xiangyang City from June 2023 to April 2024. Data were collected through in-depth face-to-face interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step analysis. RESULTS: A total of 37 interviews were conducted in this study, and by the time the 35rd interview was conducted, the data reached saturation. Finally, 17 nursing students and 16 patients were included. A total of 3 themes and 10 subthemes were identified: educational background (educational discrimination; educational duration restrictions), patient factors (psychological shadow; stereotypical thinking about interns; patient's emotional state; severity of the patient's condition; fear of invasive procedures), and nursing student factors (low professional identity; lack of proficiency in procedures; poor coping skills). CONCLUSION: The refusal of patients to allow nursing students to perform procedures was influenced by a variety of factors. It is necessary to analyze the causes, explore solutions, and take measures to improve the efficiency of nursing students' clinical internships.