Determination of Nursing Students’ Perceived Preoperative Nursing Care Competence and Related Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: This study aimed to determine nursing students' perceived preoperative nursing care competence and identify the related factors.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 284 nursing students from a university in western Turkey between April and June 2024. Data were collected using the "Sociodemographic Information Form" and the "Perceived Preoperative Nursing Care Competence Scale for Nursing Students." The data were analysed using SPSS version 23.0, employing descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations), and inferential statistical methods, including independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation tests.Results: The findings indicated that the overall perceived preoperative nursing care competence among nursing students was relatively high (95.89±11.284). The highest scores were recorded in the subscale "ability to fulfil legal responsibilities and adherence to ethical principles," while the lowest scores were observed in the "research and professional development" subscale. Factors such as age, gender, cohabitation status, and cumulative grade point average (CGPA) were not found to be significantly related to perceived preoperative nursing care competence. However, students residing in urban areas demonstrated significantly higher competence in fulfilling legal responsibilities and adhering to ethical principles compared to their rural counterparts (p=0.046, p=0.010, respectively).Conclusion: The study results suggest that nursing students have a generally adequate level of perceived preoperative care competence. Further research should aim to examine additional factors that may affect nursing students' preoperative care competence.