Nurse Sensemaking for Responding to Patient and Family Safety Concerns

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Patient Safety
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Hospitals must address safety risks identified by patients and families.
• Nurses are central to responding to and reporting patient safety concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe how bedside nurses evaluate and respond to safety concerns raised by patients or their families.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative design using semistructured interviews with 25 bedside nurses.
• Grounded theory approach for data analysis and interpretation.
• Recruitment from a Midwest academic medical center.

Main Results:

• Developed a grounded theory of how nurses evaluate safety concerns.
• Nurses assess the meaningfulness, reasonableness, and potential patient impact of concerns.
• Responses include managing emotions, immediate resolution, team involvement, and addressing fear.

Conclusions:

• Effective patient safety relies on nurses' interpersonal and evaluative processes.
• Safety interventions should consider the dynamic, cognitive nature of nurses' work.
• Direct patient engagement is needed for a complete safety picture.