Patient Safety Competencies Research Articles

Patient Safety Competence and Attitude towards Patient Safety Policies among students Nurses in Kerala: A Cross-sectional Survey

Introduction: The provision of safer and higher quality care is emphasized for nursing professionals. The purpose of this study was to identify the attitude towards patient safety policies among nursing students, to find the association of patient safety competence score with selected variables of students and to compare the patient safety competence of nursing students in classroom and clinical setting. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted among two self financing colleges of Kerala. 332nursing students aged between 16 to 22 years were selected by convenient sampling technique. Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS) was used to collect data on patient safety competence. Attitude towards patient safety policy was measured using structured attitude scale on patient safety policies. Results: Student nurses’ theoretical competence patient safety was significantly higher 22(18,25) (p<0.001) than clinical competence 21(17,24). Hospital incident report was considered as the final step for correction of error by 78.61% of the respondents and only (29.52%) agreed with the statements expressing a view that non- punitive response to error is crucial to overall patient safety. Theoretical competence on patient safety was associated with course of study (p=0.007) and year of study (p=0.007) whereas year of study (p=0.041) and clinical experience provided in the course (p=0.004) were the significant factors associated with clinical competence on patient safety among student nurses. Conclusion: The findings showed that significant lacunae exist between clinical and theory competence with regard to patient safety among nursing students. The perception on safety communication and reporting also varied among different dimensions. This findings suggest a need to sensitize students regarding patient safety policies.

Patient safety value, safety attitude and safety competency among emergency nurses in China: A structural equation model analysis.

We aim to determine the levels of patient safety value, safety attitude and safety competency and to explore the associations among these variables in emergency nurses in China. Studies have focused on the individual characteristics of nurses as influencing factors of patient safety but not on the factors that may affect patient safety competency in the context of Chinese culture, such as safety value and safety attitude. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among emergency nurses in 22 hospitals. The final model had acceptable fit indices (χ2 /df = 3.512 < 5; CFI = 0.955 > 0.9; TLI = 0.942 > 0.9; IFI = 0.955 > 0.9; RMSEA = 0.068 < 0.08 [90% CI, 0.059 to 0.077]). A fully adjusted model was also tested, and the effects among variables were consistent with the hypothesized model. The SEM results showed that patient safety values had a significant direct effect on safety competency (b = .407, p < .001) and safety attitude (b = .656, p < .001). Patient safety attitude had a significant direct effect on safety competency (b = .493, p < .001). Patient safety values had an indirect effect on safety competency through safety attitude, and the total effect of safety values on safety competency was 0.730. Chinese nurses are at a moderate level of patient safety attitude and competency. Emergency nurses' safety value and safety attitude can be direct predictors of patient safety competency, and safety value can indirectly predict their patient safety competency through safety attitude. Strengthening safety value is a critical step toward improving patient safety competency. Hospital administrators and educators should construct a patient safety culture that is guided and driven by appropriate values and ensure the development of necessary competencies in nurses.

The relationship between patient safety culture and patient safety competency with adverse events: a multicenter cross-sectional study

BackgroundPatient safety culture and patient safety competency could be associated with adverse events (AEs). This study aimed to investigate the associations between nurses’ perceptions of patient safety culture, patient safety competency, and AEs.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out among 338 nurses employed in three university hospitals in Qom, Iran between 17 August 2021 and 12 November 2021. Data were collected using three questionnaires: patient safety culture, patient safety competency, and AEs. Data were analyzed using SPSS-21 software. A multiple logistic regression model was used to analyze the data.ResultsThe results of this study showed that medication errors were significantly associated with “frequency of events reported” (OR = 0.706, P = 0.012), “supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting patient safety” (OR = 0.733, P = 0.048), and “management support for patient safety” (OR = 0.755, P = 0.012). Pressure ulcers were significantly associated with “supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting patient safety” (OR = 0.729, P = 0.039), “handoffs and transition” (OR = 0.707, P = 0.034), and “comfort speaking up about patient safety” (OR = 0.614, P = 0.016). Falls were significantly associated with “teamwork within units” (OR = 0.735, P = 0.031), “feedback and communication about error” (OR = 0.756, P = 0.046), and “handoffs and transition” (OR = 0.660, P = 0.012). The use of restraints for ≥8 hr. was significantly associated with “management support for patient safety” (OR = 0.701, P = 0.021).ConclusionsAccording to the results of this study, AEs are associated with some dimensions of patient safety culture and patient safety competency. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and identify interventions to reduce the occurrence of AEs.

Development and evaluation of a neonatal intensive care unit medication safety simulation for nursing students in South Korea: a quasi-experimental study.

Nursing students are susceptible to medication safety incidents in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) related to a lack of communication experience. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of a NICU medication safety simulation (NMSS) focusing on communication clarity, patient hand-off confidence, and patient safety competency in senior-year nursing students. The study utilized a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. In total, 60 nursing students were assigned to two groups. The experimental group participated in the NMSS, which included three medication error scenarios. Pairs of students completed the scenarios together in 10 to 20 minutes. Data were analyzed using the chi-squared test, independent t test, and ANCOVA. The experimental group showed significant improvements in communication clarity (p=.015), and patient safety competency (p<.001) compared to the control group. Using the pretest values as covariates, patient hand-off confidence scores significantly increased (p=.027). Implementing the NMSS focusing on communication in the pediatric nursing curriculum helped students to communicate clearly and concisely about medication errors, and its use is recommended to promote patient safety competency in the NICU.

Mock trials and web-based education using malpractice cases: A randomised controlled trial

<h2>ABSTRACT</h2><h3>Background</h3> Web-based education using malpractice cases is increasingly used as an effective program to improve nurses' patient safety competency, and education on legal obligations is vital for nursing students. <h3>Aim</h3> To evaluate the effectiveness of web-based education using mock trials of medical malpractice cases in improving nursing students' legal obligations, patient safety competency, and critical thinking. <h3>Methods</h3> Forty-three senior nursing students were randomly assigned to be exposed to blended learning of mock trials (4 weeks) and web-based education (4 weeks) in experimental group (n = 23), and web-based education (4 weeks) alone in control group (n = 20). Pre-test (before randomisation) and post-test (after intervention) data were collected at a university in Korea between October and December 2019. <h3>Results</h3> There were statistically significant differences in patient safety competencies (t = 3.59, <i>P</i> = 0.001), including skills (t = 2.89, <i>P</i> = 0.006) and knowledge (t = 2.60, <i>P</i> = 0.013), as well as a significant difference in critical thinking disposition (t = 3.09, <i>P</i> = 0.004) between the two groups in the pre−post changes. The two groups had no difference in knowledge and cognition of legal obligation. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Blended learning of mock trials and web-based education can enhance nursing students' patient safety competency. In particular, mock trials are an active participatory learning method that helps nursing students develop critical thinking skills to ensure patient safety competency compared to web-based education alone. Incorporating mock trial education using medical malpractice cases into the curriculum could enhance nursing students' patient safety competency and critical thinking disposition.

Development of Nursing Informatics Competence Scale for Korean Clinical Nurses.

Much of the research on nursing informatics competence has been conducted in a Western context. Thus, this study aimed to develop the Korean Nursing Informatics Competence Assessment Scale for clinical nurses and to evaluate its validity and reliability. A total of 52 items were derived based on the hybrid model. After a content validity test by six experts and item evaluation by 20 nurses, the scale was revised to include 35 items. For this study, 214 nurses completed the nursing informatics competence assessment scale to verify the scale's reliability and validity. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed five factors composed of 20 items; the fit index of the derived model was good. A positive correlation between scores on the nursing informatics competence scale and the patient safety competence scale ( r = .66, P < .001) was found for the criterion-related validity test. Cronbach's α was .91, indicating that the instrument is reliable and stable. Overall, this study provides preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of the Korean nursing informatics competence assessment scale to evaluate clinical nurses. This study contributes to the understanding and improvement of nursing informatics competence by providing a reliable scale for assessing clinical nursing practice.

Trainee perceptions of resident duty hour restrictions: a qualitative study of online discussion forums

ObjectiveResident duty hour (RDH) restrictions in postgraduate medical education is a controversial yet important topic for study. There is limited literature on authentic trainee perceptions surrounding RDH restrictions to inform...

A review of UK undergraduate surgical curricula and teaching methods with an analysis of the university of Dundee (2011–2021)

• There is insufficient undergraduate surgical teaching in the UK. • Inconsistent teaching has led to severe shortfalls in many surgical specialties. • Simulation based learning has become an essential pillar of surgical education. • Studies typically measure subjective student-reported confidence in taught skills. • The university of Dundee runs successful BSS and theatre etiquette sessions. This review discussed the current state of undergraduate surgical education in UK medical schools with focus on changes over the previous decade (2011–2021). An analysis of theatre etiquette and basic surgical skills (BSS) courses from the University of Dundee undergraduate curriculum was also undertaken, with comparison to the literature. A PubMed search using the quire “(undergraduate) AND (medicine) AND (Surgical) AND (teaching) AND (UK)” returned 155 publications. These were screened for relevance to yield the 100 publications discussed in this review. Analysis of student feedback (2016 – 2019) was carried out for BSS and theatre etiquette courses. There exists a lack of consensus around the undergraduate curricula with extreme variation in teaching and clinical exposure by speciality and medical school. These are aided by the widespread adoption of simulation-based learning and non-technical skills teaching. Most teaching is conducted in transitional programmes to prepare students for surgical attachments with skills teaching focused on fourth- and fifth-year students. Scrubbing, gowning, gloving, and suturing are all often taught briefly and inconsistently with little follow up. A wide variety of novel techniques including near peer assisted, targeted basic surgical skills (BSS) courses and student opportunities, including mentorship and conferences have been found to be effective but are often limited to a single institution. Consensus amongst the existing literature highlights an urgent need for reform of surgical education to ensure patient safety and graduate competency. The University of Dundee runs a theatre etiquette and BSS courses which produces results which indicate a high degree in confidence subjective outcomes. There is a wealth of subjective and non-specific data with infrequent objective comparison between modern teaching modalities. The deficiency of undergraduate surgical teaching presents an opportunity to re-establish curricula using significantly more effective non-technical, near-peer, and simulation teaching modalities.

Perceptions of Patient Safety Competence Using the Modified Version of the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS) Instrument Among Dental Students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

AimTo investigate dental students’ self-reported confidence in learning about various domains of patient safety during their clinical training years.MethodsThe Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS) was distributed to the fourth- and fifth-year undergraduate students, interns and postgraduate dental students. The survey explores how the seven domains of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute Safety Competencies Framework and wider cases of patient safety issues are presented in dental education, as well as participants’ self-reported comfortability regarding revealing about patient safety issues. A comparison of the patient safety domains scores were assessed through learning scenarios (classroom and clinical), gender, level of study and type of institution.ResultsOut of 409 participants, 359 undergraduate dental students and 131 postgraduate dental students responded to the survey. Irrespective of the groups, all dental students were most confident regarding their learning aspects about skills pertaining to clinical safety and effective communication and least confident in learning related to managing safety risks. All the patient safety factors irrespective of the scenario, scored above 75% and thus interpreted as good competence. Statistically significant differences were reported among the genders in the classroom scenario for learning about communicating effectively with the patients regarding patient safety issues (p < 0.05). Male dental students, undergraduates and those in the private institution were significantly less confident about recognizing and reporting to immediate risks in the clinical scenario compared to their respective counterparts (p < 0.05).ConclusionBased on the results, the dental students are quite confident with regard to the learning aspects of clinical patient safety, nevertheless, their confidence in learning certain patient safety aspects warrants further improvement. This implies a need to address the impact of regular interventions, extra motivation and repeated mentoring in both the classroom and clinical scenarios on improving dental students’ confidence about patient safety.

Patient Safety Competency and its Related Aspects in Professional Education among Nursing Students of Two Nursing Schools in Iran: A Comparative Study

Background: The importance of patient safety competency in nursing students to enter the clinical environment has made continuous studies necessary. However, only few studies have been conducted to assess and compare patient safety competency and its related aspects among nursing students in various settings.Purpose: This study aimed to compare patient safety competency and its related aspects among undergraduate nursing students of two nursing schools.Methods: This descriptive comparative study was conducted at two nursing schools (A and B) in Iran. Using a census method, 240 undergraduate nursing students were enrolled from group A and 200 ones from group B. In total, 377 students completed the survey (response rate = 76.60 %). Data were collected using the adapted Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS). Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 21) and running descriptive statistics and independent samples t- test. The significance level was set at p&lt;0.05. Results: Results showed that nursing students’ means (SD) of patient safety competency in classroom (3.43(0.60)) and clinical setting (3.32(0.62)) were significantly higher in Group A compared with Group B (2.66(0.90) and 2.39(0.9), respectively). The means of the broader aspects of patient safety and comfortable speaking up about patient safety were significantly lower in Group A than Group B (3.58(0.71) and 3.31(0.59)) versus (3.79(0.71) and 3.55(0.72)).Conclusion: Nursing students from two different nursing schools had varied levels of patient safety competency in the classroom and clinical settings. In addition, it was found that the participants had different perspectives on aspects of patient safety and perceptions of speaking up about patient safety (p&lt;0.05).

Factors affecting nursing students&amp;apos; patient safety competencies

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify nursing students' level of critical thinking disposition, communication skills, and self-leadership and to identify factors that affect the patient safety competency of nursing students.Methods: This study employs a descriptive research, method and was conducted from April 20 to May 19, 2022, with students from three nursing colleges in Korea. The collected data were analyzed by frequency and percentage, independent t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. All analyzes were conducted using IBM SPSS 22.0.Results: The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that the regression model was significant (F=17.30, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;&lt;.001) and that communication skills (&lt;i&gt;β&lt;/i&gt;=.22, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;=.001), self-leadership (&lt;i&gt;β&lt;/i&gt;=.31, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;&lt;.001), patient safety education experience (&lt;i&gt;β&lt;/i&gt;=.15, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;=.009), and subjects for credit (&lt;i&gt;β&lt;/i&gt;=.15, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;=.006) explained 28.0% of nursing students' patient safety competency.Conclusion: It is necessary to develop a self-leadership and communication skills improvement program and to organize rgular courses safety education subjects to improve the patient safety competency of nursing students.

Evaluating a patient safety course for undergraduate nursing students: A quasi-experimental study

BackgroundAlthough it has long been recognised that prelicensure education is essential for preparing nurses with the necessary patient safety competencies, patient safety education tends to be inadequately addressed in nursing curricula in South Korea and elsewhere. AimThis study examined the effectiveness of a recently developed 8-week standalone course on patient safety by comparing the patient safety competencies, knowledge, and attitudes of students who attended and did not attend the course, after controlling for baseline levels of each outcome measure. MethodsThe study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a non-equivalent comparison group, with 40 undergraduate nursing students in the intervention group, and 67 in the comparison group. Outcomes included the total score and six subscale scores measured with the Health Professional Education in Patients Safety Survey, and the Patient Safety Attitude scale developed by the WHO patient safety program. Additionally, there was an objective measure of patient safety knowledge using 15 multiple-choice questions. FindingsAfter adjusting for baseline scores, Time 2 scores on all outcome measures were significantly higher in the intervention group than the comparison group, indicating the intervention's effectiveness. We found that the largest effect of the course accrued to patient safety knowledge. Overall, the students’ assessment of the course was highly positive. DiscussionOur patient safety course could be a model for teaching patient safety in undergraduate nursing curriculum. ConclusionThis study shows the potential for a standalone patient safety course to increase undergraduate nursing students’ patient safety competencies, knowledge, and attitudes towards patient safety.

Nurses' patient safety competency, a predictor for safe care in psychiatric wards?

This study examined the relationship between patient safety competence and safe care from the viewpoints of nurses working in psychiatry wards. The present descriptive correctional study was conducted in two psychiatry hospitals in Iran in 2020. All the nurses were selected as the study participants using the census sampling method (N = 209). Nurses' patient safety competency was at a low level (2.54 ± 0.52), but nurses' safe care was at a moderate level (242.08 ± 61.32). A strong positive relationship was found between the patients' safety competency and nurses' safe care (p = 0.001, r = 0.84). Nursing managers should support nurses by providing the required resources and operational strategies to improve their competency and safe care in providing quality care.

Effectiveness of Online Patient Safety Education on the Competency of Nurses in Intensive Care Units: A Quasi-experimental Study

Background &amp; Aims: Maintaining patient safety (PS) is one of professional and ethical duties of health care providers. Nurses, as the largest professional group in the health system, have a potential and significant power in influencing the health care quality. Their competency in PS is essential to ensure quality and safe care. Education plays a vital role in improving PS and providing high quality nursing care. Due to the prevalence of COVID-19 and the need to observe social distancing, it is not possible to hold face-to-face courses. Hence, e-learning is a valuable option during this pandemic. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of online PS education on the competence of nurses in intensive care units (ICUs). Materials &amp; Methods: This is a single-group quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design that was conducted in 2020 in Tehran, Iran. Participants were 50 nurses working in the ICUs of Hazrate Rasoole Akram Hospital and Firoozgar Hospital affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, who were by a proportional stratified sampling method. The content of the educational program was prepared using clinical guidelines and the literature which included materials about (1) PS and its different aspects (medication error, hemovigilance, pressure ulcer, fall, nosocomial infections, hand hygiene, surface and equipment disinfection, and waste management), (2) PS culture, (3) the effects of human factors and teamwork on error incidence, (4) importance of communication with patients before and after the occurrence of errors and giving appropriate feedback on errors, (5) root cause analysis of errors, (6) activity analysis after an adverse event, and (7) risk management. The program was prepared using Storyline version 3 software. Educational content was provided to participants on Telegram application. Before and three months after the intervention, data were collected using the Patient Safety Competency Self-evaluation (PSCSE) questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (paired t-test) in SPSS software, version 22. Results: The mean scores of PS knowledge (21.75±3.28), attitude (61.52±4.19) and skill (84.66±53.7) after the intervention were significantly higher compared to their pretest scores (P&lt;0.001). The mean of total competency score (167.93±11.61) was also significantly higher after the intervention. Results showed that the educational program improved the nurses' competence by 17.86%. The education had the highest effect on PS knowledge, followed by PS skills and attitudes. Conclusion: Online education can increase PS knowledge, skills, and attitudes in ICU nurses and can ultimately promote their competence in PS. Nursing managers can use e-learning method to provide in-service training and retraining courses on familiarity with PS concepts, which can help manage medical errors caused by nurses. This learning method is recommended for nurses working in ICUs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effect of online education on the knowledge on, attitudes towards, and skills in patient safety for nursing students in Korea: a mixed-methods study.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of synchronous online education on the patient safety competency (knowledge, attitudes, and skills) of nursing students in Korea and to explore what they thought about this educational method.MethodsA single-group pre-and post-test design and summative content analysis were implemented. On November 14th, 2020, 110 nursing students completed synchronous online patient safety education. Patient safety competency was measured before and after the intervention using the revised Patient Safety Competency Self-Evaluation tool. The descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to analyze the data. Students also expressed their opinions about this education based on open-ended questions.ResultsAll the patient safety competency scores significantly increased after intervention. A summative content analysis of the open-ended questions yielded 5 categories: educational materials, education level, education time, interaction, and educational media.ConclusionThis study found that synchronous online patient safety education improves nursing students’ knowledge on, attitudes towards, and skills in patient safety. Nursing students also expressed a variety of positive aspects of the online education method. To improve the efficacy of synchronous online patient safety education, there is a need for further empirical studies on the appropriate class duration and difficulty of the content. It is essential to find a way to combine online education with various learning activities.

UP- PGH Division of Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship Training and COVID-19: Opportunities and Innovations

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected training programs because of changes in patient load and service assignments. This posed certain challenges in the implementation of the pre–COVID-19 training curriculum recommendations by the Philippine Heart Association Specialty Board on Adult Cardiology. OBJECTIVE: This article describes the challenges, training adjustments and innovations, and the impact on the training program of these changes instituted by the University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (DCVM) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This is a descriptive article based on review of changes and improvements of the UP-PGH DCVM training manual and guidelines adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. FINDINGS: The COVID-19 pandemic challenges provided opportunities for innovation of the training program. The program emphasized focus on maximizing team-based learning from every clinical encounter toward achievement of learning outcomes and competency. The training committee closely monitored the learning environment and trainee’s learning progress to achieve outcomes beyond the traditional metrics such as census and procedural numbers. It adopted online clinical encounters, conference, and case discussion. To enhance learning, virtual engagement supplemented physical encounters between consultants and training fellows assigned to various clinical rotations. Real-world research results on the impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health were utilized to enhance knowledge. Risk mitigation and transmission reduction strategies were adopted to ensure safety of all staff. The division also incorporated a strong wellness program to provide holistic approach to trainees’ and trainers’ health. New competencies were developed such as telemedicine, infection prevention and control, and creation of virtual patient education programs. CONCLUSION: The training institution met the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic with resiliency and unity. The adjustments and innovations in training instituted by PGH DCVM proved useful in addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic. The situation was viewed as an opportunity to innovate and pursue a better program adaptive of the ever-changing environment, toward forming competent future cardiologists by enhancing focus not only on numbers but rather on the process of achievement of learning outcomes, embracing virtual and online strategies, institutionalization of wellness program, and development of new guidelines in the approaching patient management cognizant of both health care provider and patient safety and new competencies such as patient virtual education and telemedicine in cardiology.

Patient Safety Competencies among Senior Students of Health Professions: An Iranian Evaluation Study

Introduction: Patient safety refers to preventing and reducing adverse events that might harm the patient while providing care. Enhancing patient safety competence upon entering the clinical environment requires introducing and integrating it in health professions' education. Aim: This study aimed to investigate patient safety competence among senior health professions students. Methods: This study was conducted in 2020 using a cross-sectional study. In total, 390 senior health professions students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, midwifery, surgical technologist (operating room technician), and anesthesia were selected through a stratified convenience method. Data were collected using the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey – H-PEPSS from August to September 2020 and analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. All statistical computations were carried out using SPSS version 16. A significant level of 5% was considered (P &lt;0.05). Results: The mean scores of patient safety in health professions education in the classroom and clinical setting were 0.51 and 0.47, respectively. Among Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey – H-PEPSS domains, the highest mean score was obtained in the effective communication domain (0.61 in the classroom and 0.57 in the clinical setting). In contrast, domains of working in teams with other health professions showed the lowest mean score (0.39 in the classroom and 0.38 in the clinical setting). Conclusion: Patient safety in health profession education, particularly working in teams with other health professions, is at a moderate level in the classroom and a weak level in the clinical setting. Regarding the importance of interprofessional collaboration in promoting patient safety, it is recommended that the health sciences curriculum in Iran be reviewed to motivate students for interprofessional collaboration and the perception of its significance in reducing health profession's errors.

The Effect of Clinical Nurses' Critical Thinking Disposition and Communication Ability on Patient Safety Competency

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the influence of critical thinking disposition and communication ability on patient safety competence among clinical nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using a self-reported questionnaire. In total, 139 nurses were recruited from a tertiary care hospital and general hospital in Gyeonggi Province. Data were collected from March 5, 2019 to March 29, 2019 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, the Scheffé test, Pearson’ correlation coefficients, and hierarchical multiple regression with SPSS version 25.0. Results: The item mean score for patient safety competence was 3.83±0.40 (range, 1~5). Clinical nurses who were female, older, had higher education, and had more clinical experiences showed higher patient safety competence. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that healthy skepticism and objectivity (as subscales of clinical thinking disposition) and communication ability explained 28% and 3% of variance in patient safety competence; the model predicted approximately 38% of the variance in patient safety competence (F=6.69, p&lt;.001). Conclusion: Clinical nurses’ patient safety competence was associated with healthy skepticism and objectivity, among the subscales of clinical thinking disposition, and communication ability. These were also found to be the major factors that influenced patient safety competence. Thus, it is necessary to develop educational programs to improve clinical nurses’ critical thinking disposition and communication skills.

Perceptions of patient safety competency among graduating pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy and medical imaging students: A cross-sectional study in Malaysia

Aim: The study aimed to investigate the perceptions of patient safety competency (PSC) among a sample of graduating healthcare professionals in a developing country. Methods: A cross-sectional survey on self-reported confidence in PSC was conducted among 469 graduands of pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy and medical imaging at a private healthcare educational institution in Malaysia. Students’ confidence in six core domains of competency in the validated Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS) questionnaire was evaluated in the classroom and clinical settings. Results: Nursing students were the most confident in PSC followed by pharmacy, physiotherapy and medical imaging students (p &lt; 0.05) in both settings. The pharmacists’ scores in both settings were equal in all the domains except for the learning on the ‘Recognise and respond to reduce harm’ domain (p = 0.01). Conclusion: Based on H-PEPSS, the pharmacy students attained equal high levels of confidence in patient safety competency from both classroom and clinical settings.

Psychometric analysis and construct validation of Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey in the Indian context.

Background Improving patient safety (PS) is critical to optimizing healthcare delivery. There is a need to develop curricula or incorporate PS concepts in health professionals' (HPs) education, in both theoretical and practical training. Consequently, there is a need to measure the perception of HPs regarding various PS competencies imparted to them during their training. The Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS) is a tool that measures HPs' self-reported PS competence and was designed to reflect six sociocultural areas central to PS. The tool has been validated in Canada but not in India. We did a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and psychometric validation of the H-PEPSS in the Indian context. Methods The sample comprised 240 HPs. We used the maximum likelihood estimation method on AMOS V20 (SPSS Inc.) to carry out a CFA of the tool. We used the normed fit index, Tucker-Lewis index, comparative fit index, standard root mean square residual, root mean square residual and root mean square error of approximation to evaluate the model fit. Internal consistency and reliability of the six factors of the model were examined using Cronbach's alpha. Convergent validity of the model was examined using average variance extracted and composite reliability. Discriminant validity was examined using the Fornell and Larcker criterion and the heterotrait-monotrait method. Results The results indicate a good fit. The H-PEPSS was found to be reliable and valid for assessing PS competencies among HPs. Comparison of the results with the results of the Canadian setting confirmed external validity. Conclusion The 16-item H-PEPSS has good psychometric properties for use in the Indian context. The 23-item HPEPSS was found to be reliable and valid for assessing PS.