Preregistration nursing students’ perceived confidence in learning about patient safety in selected Kenyan universities

Abstract

Background Improvement of patient safety in Kenya depends on knowledgeable nurses who are equipped with the clinical safety and sociocultural competences of patient safety. Objectives This study assessed the theoretical and practical learning of these competences as perceived by nursing students. Method A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 178 preregistration Bachelor of Nursing students from two Kenyan universities using the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey. This tool assessed the students’ confidence in learning about clinical safety and the sociocultural aspects of patient safety in the classroom and clinical settings. Descriptive statistics summarised the sample and survey responses, while paired t -tests and ANOVA were used to compare responses across learning settings and year of study. Results The students reported higher confidence about learning on the clinical aspects than on the sociocultural issues of patient safety with the lowest mean scores recorded in ‘Understanding human and environmental factors’ and ‘Recognising, responding and disclosing adverse events’. They reported significantly higher confidence scores in the classroom setting than the clinical setting with no significant difference in reported confidence across the years of study. They were less confident in speaking up about patient safety issues in the clinical areas with 52.2% feeling that reporting a patient safety problem will result in negative repercussions. Conclusion Nursing programmes in Kenya need to reinforce the sociocultural aspects of patient safety in the curriculum. The patient safety culture in the clinical placements sites needs to be conducive to enable, and not hinder, the acquisition of these competences.

The knowledge about patient safety among undergraduate nurse students in Cyprus and Greece: a comparative study

“…These findings are similar to some studies [37,38,44,46,61,65,66], although other studies reported mixed results, with reported clinical scores being higher than the class scores in more than half of the dimensions [9,45,65]. Classroom ıs perceived as a safe environment of learning about working in multi-professional teams, understanding the system-based nature of patient safety problems [50] and being more confıdent to speak up [66,67]. As 50 % of the student programme is completed in clinical practice, its contribution to professional socialisation is identified.…”

“…In thıs study, overall, students reported that they were more confident in their knowledge about patıent safety gained in the classroom setting than in the clinical setting. These findings are similar to some studies [37,38,44,46,61,65,66], although other studies reported mixed results, with reported clinical scores being higher than the class scores in more than half of the dimensions [9,45,65]. Classroom ıs perceived as a safe environment of learning about working in multi-professional teams, understanding the system-based nature of patient safety problems [50] and being more confıdent to speak up [66,67].…”

“…According to Benner [86], knowledge is embedded in expertise which develops through experience and exposure to clinical situations. However, inconsistency in this finding was found with the score declining across the years [37,44,65,66]. This can either suggest that first-year students have less insight into their skills and abilities or that the more experienced ones have a better understanding of what patient safety is about and what is needed to ensure they practice in a 'safe' manner [44].…”

Nursing students’ experience of risk assessment, prevention and management: a systematic review

“…The same conclusion was reached by the study conducted in Kenya in 2019 [ 15 ]: students learned more about patient safety in education than in clinical practice. This shows that there is a problem with the application of theoretical aspects in the practical context.…”

“…In summary, clinical safety competencies include safety during drug preparation and administration; infection prevention and control; surgical patient safety; and safety in invasive procedures. In addition, socio-cultural patient safety competencies must be implemented, including patient-centered care, teamwork, collaboration, evidence-based practice, improvement of quality, safety and information technology [ 15 ].…”