Patient safety content and delivery in pre-registration nursing curricula: A national cross-sectional survey study

Title
Patient safety content and delivery in pre-registration nursing curricula: A national cross-sectional survey study
Publication Date
2018
Author(s)
Usher, Kim
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9686-5003
Email: kusher@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:kusher
Woods, Cindy
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5790-069X
Email: cwood30@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:cwood30
Conway, Jane
Lea, Jacqueline
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3189-0950
Email: jlea2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:jlea2
Parker, Vicki T
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0834-9528
Email: vparker3@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:vparker3
Barrett, Fiona
O'Shea, Eilish
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4899-1627
Email: eoshea5@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:eoshea5
Jackson, Debra
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd
Place of publication
Australia
DOI
10.1016/j.nedt.2018.04.013
UNE publication id
une:23319
Abstract
Background: Patient safety is a core principle of health professional practice and as such requires significant attention within undergraduate curricula. However, patient safety practice is complex requiring a broad range of skills and behaviours including the application of sound clinical knowledge within a range of health care contexts and cultures. There is very little research that explores how this is taught within Australian nursing curricula. Objectives: To examine how Australian nursing curricula address patient safety; identify where and how patient safety learning occurs; and describe who is responsible for facilitating this learning. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: Eighteen universities across seven Australian States and Territories. Participants: The sample consisted of 18 nursing course coordinators or those responsible for the inclusion of patient safety content within a Bachelor of Nursing course at Australian universities. Methods: An online survey was conducted to evaluate the patient safety content included and teaching methods used in Australian pre-registration nursing curricula. Results: Approaches to teaching patient safety vary considerably between universities where patient safety tended to be integrated within undergraduate nursing course subjects rather than explicitly taught in separate, stand-alone subjects. Three-quarters of the surveyed staff believed patient safety was currently being adequately covered in their undergraduate nursing curricula. Conclusion: Although there is consensus in relation to the importance of patient safety across universities, and similarity in views about what knowledge, skills and attitudes should be taught, there were differences in: the amount of time allocated, who was responsible for the teaching and learning, and in which setting the learning occurred and was assessed. There was little indication of the existence of a systematic approach to learning patient safety, with most participants reporting emphasis on learning applied to infection control and medication safety.
Link
Citation
Nurse Education Today, v.66, p. 82-89
ISSN
1532-2793
0260-6917
Start page
82
End page
89

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