Nurses' Self-Perceived Patient Safety Competencies: Associations With Work- and Education-Related Factors in a...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Assessing nurses' self-perceived confidence in patient safety is crucial for improving healthcare quality.
• Understanding factors influencing this confidence can inform targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe nurses' self-perceived confidence in patient safety competencies.
• To examine how work- and education-related factors influence nurses' confidence in patient safety.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, explorative, cross-sectional survey was conducted in Estonia.
• The Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS) was administered to 376 nurses and master's students.
• Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Nurses reported highest confidence in human/environmental factors and lowest in teamwork.
• Longer work experience positively correlated with confidence in teamwork and safety culture.
• Master's students demonstrated higher confidence in adverse event response and safety culture.
• Prior patient safety training was linked to increased confidence across domains.

Conclusions:

• Nurses' confidence in patient safety competencies varies by domain and is influenced by experience, education, and workplace.
• Targeted training and supportive environments are vital for enhancing nursing competence in patient safety.
• Interventions addressing teamwork confidence are needed, as this is a noted area of weakness.