What really matters for patient safety: Correlation of nurse competence with international patient safety goals

Abstract

Background Optimal level of nurse competence is imperative for patient safety and quality of care. A research gap exists in empirical evidence for associating nurses’ competencies with patient safety. Purpose The primary purpose of this study was to measure the association between general ward nurses' competencies with international patient safety goals. Method Correlational research design was adopted. Stratified random sampling was used to recruit (n  =  182) nurses working in two JCIA accredited and non-JCIA hospitals. Data were collected using the Competency Inventory for Registered Nurses and International Patient Safety Goals. The research was approved by the Institutional review board and ethics committee. Findings The regression analysis showed enhancement of patient safety with an improvement in nurse competencies R2  =  0.238. Nurse competencies showed a moderate positive association with an overall patient safety such as critical thinking and research aptitude (r  =  0.420, P – Value < 0.001), teaching coaching (r  =  0.469, P- Value <0.01), professional development (r  =  0.436, P – Value < 0.001), legal and ethical practices (r  =  0.434, P –Value < 0.001), interpersonal relationships (r  =  0.430, P –Value < 0.001), Leadership (r  =  0.400, P –Value < 0.001), and Clinical Care (r  =  0.541, P –Value < 0.001). Moreover, experience and professional education show positive association with both, patient safety and nurses’ competencies. Conclusion Nurses’ clinical competencies are crucial to enhance patient safety. Personal and professional attributes affect the competencies of nurses and patient safety. Hospital management should take mandatory steps to ensure improving nurses’ competencies for better patient safety.