Quality and Safety Competencies in Undergraduate Nursing Education: Where are we now?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. To address this problem, a concerted effort by nurse educators to integrate Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies into nursing curricula is relevant. There is a need for innovative educational strategies, faculty development, and implementation approaches to support successful QSEN competency implementation. PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to evaluate a faculty development course that included QSEN competency education, resources, and support. METHODS: A pretest posttest design was used and 19 nursing faculty from a northeast U.S. public college participated in the program. Participants completed the National QSEN Faculty Survey before and after a 6-part QSEN competency-based training course. Descriptive statistics and the chi-square statistical test were used to compare means of pretest and post-test responses. RESULTS: Results indicated a significant increase of incorporating the QSEN competencies in nursing courses following the faculty development program. The most helpful QSEN resource was found to be the QSEN website followed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in pre and post-test results. Case studies, lectures, and group projects were the most frequently used teaching strategies, and the classroom was found to be the setting where most faculty integrated QSEN competencies into their courses. IMPLICATIONS: Faculty development programs are an effective method of providing support for the integration of QSEN competencies into the undergraduate nursing curricula. Evaluation of faculty development programs is essential so that effective programs can be shared and sustained. Keywords: QSEN, competencies, faculty development, quality, safety