Exploring the Professional Responsibility Concern Process: An Alberta Perspective.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Registered nurses play a critical role in identifying and reporting patient safety issues.
• Limited literature exists on the processes linking nurses' professional responsibility to reporting safety concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how nurses can effectively report workplace factors impacting patient safety.
• To identify existing processes and best practices for nurses reporting safety concerns.
• To address the gap in research on professional responsibility concern processes in Canada and internationally.

Main Methods:

• A case study approach was employed.
• Included a scan of public websites detailing professional responsibility processes across Canada.
• An extensive literature search was conducted on factors influencing nurse reporting of patient safety concerns.

Main Results:

• Key themes facilitating nurse reporting include patient safety culture, leadership, communication, and "speaking up" behaviors.
• Alberta demonstrates a robust system for reporting professional responsibility concerns.
• A significant lack of international research and literature on these topics was identified.

Conclusions:

• Patient safety culture, leadership, communication, and "speaking up" are vital for nurses to express professional responsibility concerns.
• While Alberta has a developed reporting system, international research in nursing requires further development.
• Further focus is needed internationally on the processes and literature surrounding nurse reporting of patient safety concerns.