@davenlh In case it helps, I ended up using a power automate flow as a workaround to avoid the random patch function error. Because the flow is executed on my account, it prevents the error that seemed to be created by the SP list data source.
I used the PowerApps trigger for the flow, created a list item, and then added code to the submit button's OnSelect parameter to run the flow (called flow_requests). I've added the code below, along with a screenshot of my flow. All the variables are specific to my app, the only detail to note is that the number of parameters in the flow must match the number of variables populated in your OnSelect code, and be in the same order. I also linked a helpful video.
https://youtu.be/gwmufQ4Gabs
Code added to OnSelect (In Power App)
flow_requests.Run(Concatenate(User().Email, Text(Today(), "[$-en-US]yyyy-mm-dd")), User().Email, If(IsBlank(Keyword_Entry.Text), "a", Keyword_Entry.Text), Concat(Topic_Entry.SelectedItems, Interest, ", "), Text(Today(), "[$-en-US]yyyy-mm-dd"), Concat(Source_Entry.SelectedItems, Source, ", "), Start_Date.SelectedDate, End_Date.SelectedDate, "Yes");
MS Flow design
