Advanced practice nurses' experiences of patient safety: a focus group study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety Research

Background:

• Patient harm due to unsafe care is a global issue.
• Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) possess expertise to enhance care quality and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the experiences of Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Nurse Consultants in patient safety.
• Investigate the role of APNs in improving patient safety outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative design utilizing six focus group interviews.
• Convenience and snowball sampling recruited 28 APNs from adult nursing specialties.
• Qualitative content analysis of transcribed interview data.

Main Results:

• Six key categories emerged: safety as priority, APN contribution, patient/family role, multidisciplinary approach, government regulation, and areas for improvement.
• APNs perceive themselves as role models and leaders, identifying system-level change opportunities.
• APNs leverage expertise and connectivity for decision-making and leading safety initiatives.

Conclusions:

• Extended nursing roles, particularly APNs, are vital for developing future patient safety strategies.
• APNs are ideally positioned as leaders to identify and implement healthcare safety improvements.
• APNs guide multidisciplinary teams, educate staff, and address system-wide safety gaps to enhance patient safety.