Nursing students’ knowledge of patient safety and development of competences over their academic years: Findings from a longitudinal study

Abstract

Introduction Future nurses should possess the knowledge and competences necessary to ensure patient safety. However, little evidence is available on the way in which students learn patient safety-related principles over time. This study explored the progress of a cohort of Italian undergraduate nursing students as they acquired patient safety knowledge and competences from time of enrolment to graduation. Methods A longitudinal study carried out between 2015 and 2018 enrolled a cohort of 90 nursing students from two Italian Bachelor of Nursing Science Degree Courses at the Udine University, Italy. The students were followed-up on an annual basis and data collection was performed three times: at the end of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years. The validated Italian version of the Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey tool was used to collect data. Results At the end of the 1st year, students reported an average 4.19 out of 5 patient safety knowledge acquired in classrooms (CI 95%, 4.11–4.28), which was stable at the end of the 2nd (4.16; CI 95%, 4.06–4.26) and 3rd years (4.26; CI 95%, 4.16–4.32) and no statistical differences emerged over the years. With regard to the competences acquired in clinical settings, at the end of the 1st year the students reported an average 4.28 out of 5 (CI 95%, 4.20–4.37), which decreased significantly at the end of the 2nd year (4.15; CI 95%, 4.07–4.23; p=0.02) and increased at the end of the 3rd year (4.37; CI 95%, 4.27–4.47; p<0.01). Conclusions Nursing students’ competences in patient safety issues increases over time, while their knowledge remains stable. Students are more vulnerable at the end of the 1st year, when they seem to be overconfident about patient-safety issues.

Incorporating a Patient Safety and Quality Course Into the Nursing Curriculum: An Assessment of Student Gains

“…One reason for this could be the increased time available to second-year students compared with fourth-year students to prepare for the assessment of the module. An interesting approach to evaluating differences in knowledge between different year groups has been taken by Bressan et al 28 They followed the same student groups each year, their performance were measured at the end of year 1, 2, and 3, and they found that the knowledge on PS issues remained stable. Fourth-year students had significantly higher pretest scores in the STS component in contrast to second-year students.…”

Factors influencing nursing students' perception of patient safety

“…They should have the knowledge necessary to ensure patient safety. However, there needs to be more evidence on how students learn patient safety principles during their studies (Bressan et al, 2021). Therefore, our study aimed to collate existing empirical research studies on factors affecting the perception of patient safety from the perspective of nursing students.…”

Development of Patient Safety Management Learning Model Based on Problem Based Learning Integrated Soft Skill Higher Level Thinking for Health Students in Samarinda

“…3 The results of this study are in line with the results of Lee, 16 where the scores for the skills and knowledge of the study participants were lower than the scores for attitudes. 16 Meanwhile, the results of the study by Bressan V. et al 4 showed that student knowledge remained stable, while nursing student competency in patient safety issues increased over time. Students are more vulnerable at the end of the first year, when they seem overly confident about patient safety issues.…”

“…Nurse graduates must have sufficient knowledge and soft skills to identify potential safety risks and must have the confidence to protect patients from preventable harm because they are future health care professionals. 2,4 The self-confidence and skills of graduates are closely related to the safety practices received while participating in the educational process at tertiary institution. 5 Therefore, universities as providers of vocational education are responsible for developing student abilities and preparing future nursing workers to practice according to patient safety standards.…”

“…Little is known about the educational experience and competence of nursing students in relation to patient safety and perceptions of their competence in this field. 1,2,4 Most universities around the world are looking for teaching methods that can enhance students' abilities in clinical decision making and student-centered learning. In recent decades, the use of student-centered learning methods has become a strong trend with educational systems.…”