Factors Associated With Medication Safety Competence Among Clinical Nurses in China: A Latent Profile Analysis

Nurses can promote medication safety. However, the main factors affecting their ability to do so are uncertain.

In this study, a person-centered approach was employed to analyze the latent profiles of medication safety competence in clinical nurses in China and to identify the significant influencing factors.

A multicenter cross-sectional online survey was conducted. From January 17 to February 18, 2024, 1,228 nurses (mean age=33.52, SD =7.55; 97.20% female) were recruited from several hospitals in the Chinese provinces of Hubei, Chongqing, and Guangzhou and enrolled as participants. The Critical Thinking Diagnostic Scale and Medication Safety Competence Scale were used in collecting study data. Mplus 8.3 software was adopted for the latent profile analysis to clarify the medication safety competence subgroups. SPSS 24.0 software was employed to perform the analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's Chi-square analysis, and logistic regression analysis to examine the factors associated with medication safety competence.

Four profiles were derived from the latent profile analysis: Profile 1 (low medication safety competence; 9%), Profile 2 (medium low medication safety competence; 8%), Profile 3 (medium high medication safety competence; 40%), and Profile 4 (high medication safety competence; 44%). The total critical thinking score was identified as a positive predictor of profile affiliation. The results of the regression analysis found that, compared with Profile 4, being a junior nurse ( OR =2.341, 95% CI [1.005, 5.450]), having no self-perceived nursing achievement ( OR =6.205, 95% CI [2.084, 18.473]), and occasionally having self-perceived nursing achievement ( OR =7.495, 95% CI [3.419, 16.430]) increased the likelihood of being in Profile 1; that having no history of medication error ( OR =0.408, 95% CI [.177, .938]) decreased the likelihood of being in Profile 1; that having 11-15 years of work experience ( OR =2.239, 95% CI [1.166, 4.299]) and occasionally having self-perceived nursing achievement ( OR =3.102, 95% CI [1.074, 8.953]) increased the likelihood of being in Profile 3; and that being a supervisor nurse ( OR =0.404, 95% CI [.242, .728]) decreased the likelihood of being in Profile 3.

Based on the results, the medication safety competence of nurses in China may be divided into four subgroups. Having a higher critical thinking score, a professional title (supervisor nurse or above), self-perceived nursing achievement (often/always), and no history of medication error all increase the likelihood of being in Profile 4. The findings provide a reference for nursing managers when formulating continuing education to promote medication safety competence. The factors associated with the various profiles identified in this study may facilitate the development of better-tailored intervention strategies.