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Nurses' recognition and response to unsafe practice by their peers: A qualitative descriptive analysis
Wendy Blair1, Helen Courtney-Pratt2, Evan Doran3
1New Zealand Nurses Organisation, University of Newcastle, Australia.
Nurse Education in Practice
|July 8, 2022
Summary
Registered nurses recognize subtle cues and overt behaviors indicating unsafe nursing practice. Factors like high workloads and poor organizational culture contribute to these issues, impacting patient safety.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Patient Safety
- Healthcare Quality
Background:
- Unsafe practice poses a significant risk within the nursing profession.
- Limited research exists on how nurses identify and address unsafe practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify behaviors and cues signaling unsafe practice for registered nurses.
- Explore factors contributing to unsafe practice.
- Determine nurses' responses to unsafe practice.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative descriptive study design.
- Conducted in New Zealand healthcare settings with 13 registered nurses.
- Data collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using constant-comparative and thematic analysis.
Main Results:
- Nurses identified diverse behaviors, cues, contributing factors, and responses related to unsafe practice.
- Three emergent themes: Uncertainty, 'sensing' unsafe practice, and disrupted professionalism.
- Recognized both overt unsafe behaviors and subtle cues as indicators.
Conclusions:
- Understanding nurses' challenges in recognizing and responding to unsafe practice is crucial for improving clinical practice.
- Contributing factors include high workloads, poor skill mix, and unsupportive organizational cultures.
- Addressing unsafe practice requires a deeper understanding of the complexities within nursing contexts.
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