Evaluating the intervening factors in patient safety: focusing on hospital nursing staff

Abstract

Objective:To evaluate intervening factors in patient safety, focusing on hospital nursing staff. Method: The study is descriptive, with qualitative approach, excerpt from a larger study with analytical nature. It was undertaken in a public hospital in Fortaleza, CE, Brazil, between January and June 2013, with semi-structured interviews to 70 nurses, using Thematic Content Analysis. Results: The principal intervening factors in patient safety related to hospital nursing staff were staff dimensioning and workload, professional qualification and training, team work, being contracted to the institution, turnover and lack of job security, and bad practice/disruptive behaviors. These aspects severely interfere with the establishment of a safety culture in the hospital analyzed. Conclusion: It is necessary for managers to invest in nursing staff, so that these workers may be valued as fundamental in the promotion of patient safety, making it possible to develop competences for taking decisions with focus on the improvement of quality care. Evaluating the intervening factors in patient safety: focusing on hospital nursing staff Avaliando os fatores intervenientes na segurança do paciente: enfoque na equipe de enfermagem hospitalar Evaluando los factores intervinientes en la seguridad del paciente: enfoque en el equipo de enfermería hospitalaria DESCRIPTORS:

Analyzing the concept of disruptive behavior in healthcare work: an integrative review*

“…Regarding the type of study, there was a predominance of articles of theoretical reflection (24), and updates (21), followed by analytical and cross-sectional studies (14), qualitative studies (4), experience reports (3), research intervention/evaluation (2), systematic review (1) and a case study (1). This is more data that reveals the need for refining the concept.…”

“…Moreover, many aspects of the work context greatly interfere in the establishment of safety culture, particularly mental and physical overload, insufficient education and professional training, poor teamwork, the variety of employment contracts, high turnover and bad practices/disruptive behaviors (1) . In this context, the study of labor conditions and subjective characteristics of the health worker have led to an assessment of safety culture in hospitals.…”

Incidentes com medicamentos em unidade de urgência e emergência: análise documental

“…However, this can increase the occurrence of errors. Studies found that organizational factors exert considerable influence on the occurrence of incidents, especially regarding workload and working conditions (14)(15)(16) and safety culture (17)(18) . The involvement of nursing teams is emphasized, since nursing professionals are responsible for the process of administering medications along with other demands of care (19) .…”

Prevenção e controle de infecção na formação do enfermeiro: estudo descritivo

“…Despite the voluminous and systematic technological investment in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, especially in hospitals, clinical practice is still full of failures and grievances. This is mainly due to the qualification of human resources that appear to have not accompanied changes in health care (2)(3) . Safe practices with an emphasis on infection prevention and control show deficits in Brazilian higher education institutions (IES -from the Portuguese "Instituições de Ensino Superior"), a problem experienced also in other Latin American institutions, especially regarding the training of professional nurses (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) .…”

“…This is mainly due to the qualification of human resources that appear to have not accompanied changes in health care (2)(3) . Safe practices with an emphasis on infection prevention and control show deficits in Brazilian higher education institutions (IES -from the Portuguese "Instituições de Ensino Superior"), a problem experienced also in other Latin American institutions, especially regarding the training of professional nurses (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) . In the IES, the theme, when exploited, is done in a fragmented way: content is diluted in various disciplines, losing its importance and practical applicability throughout the curriculum (5)(6)(7) .…”