Exploring Nurse Perspectives on Technology-Related Safety Events in Oncology.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Patient Safety
• Health Technology

Background:

• Advanced technologies like EHRs and infusion pumps are integral to modern oncology nursing.
• While enhancing care, these technologies introduce potential unintended safety risks for patients and nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore oncology nurses' perspectives on technology-related safety events.
• To identify factors contributing to these safety events.
• To categorize the outcomes of technology-related safety events.

Main Methods:

• Conducted semi-structured interviews with 28 oncology nurses.
• Utilized the Sittig and Singh sociotechnical framework.
• Employed a health data-related harm matrix for outcome categorization.

Main Results:

• Identified diverse safety concerns associated with technology use in oncology nursing.
• Preliminary findings synthesize various event types, contributing factors, and harm outcomes.
• Highlighted the critical role of nurse perspectives in understanding technology-related safety.

Conclusions:

• Emphasizes the importance of robust reporting systems for technology-related safety events.
• Recommends infrastructure improvements to mitigate risks and enhance patient safety.
• Underscores the need for proactive strategies to address safety challenges in technology-driven oncology care.