Nursing students' assessment of patient safety competencies

Design: A pilot study.

Methods: Data collection was carried out from January to April 2023 using the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey instrument through the Google Forms® platform. The sample consisted of nursing students from seven faculties in the Czech Republic (n = 145). Descriptive and inductive statistics in the statistical program SPSS 25.0 were used in data analysis.

Results: Nursing students were more confident in both academic and clinical settings in the subscale of Managing safety risks (M = 3.85), and less confident in the subscale of Culture of safety (M = 3.54). Significant differences in assessment of competencies were found in three dimensions when academic and clinical settings were compared. Numerous associations were also demonstrated between patient safety dimensions and sociodemographic data, with the greatest impact on clinical factors.

Conclusion: Evaluation of patient safety competencies is a key element in increasing quality and safe care in general. Integrating sociocultural aspects of patient safety into the nursing curriculum is crucial. The main focus should be on patient safety culture education.