Quality and safety education for nurses: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

PurposeSince its origin in the United States in 2005, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) has guided nurses' preparation for alleviating preventable harm and improving quality safe care. QSEN's value is illustrated through specific inclusion in the competency‐based 2021 American Association for Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials. The purpose of this bibliometric analysis is to explore publication patterns of the extant QSEN literature to assess QSEN's spread and global penetration and to map the available knowledge and data regarding quality and safety education for nurses.DesignBibliometric analysis.MethodTwo QSEN investigators and two health science librarians completed database searches to identify articles with keywords QSEN or Quality and safety education for nursing. Inclusion criteria were (1) QSEN‐specific and (2) published in a peer‐reviewed journal. Using PRISMA screening, the final sample included 221 articles between 2007 and 2021.ResultsAverage annual QSEN publications was 14.5 articles; the highest was 26 publications in 2017. Article types were 84 research, 77 descriptive/reviews, 28 quality improvement projects or case studies, 20 statements, and 12 editorials. Focus analysis revealed 165 education articles, 35 clinical practice, 17 professional development, and 4 leadership/administration. Fourteen journals published three or more; eight were education journals. Nine topic clusters indicated areas of publication focus, including clinical teaching, simulations, performance, context, and criteria of analysis, factors of efficacy, innovation and advanced practice, patient care and outcomes, academic concepts, and research frameworks.ConclusionsResults reveal far less QSEN penetration for guiding professional practice, research measuring outcomes and impact, and global collaboration to examine cultural implications for diversity and inclusion. Results present future recommendations to assure all nurses worldwide have access to competency development to alleviate preventable healthcare harm.Clinical RelevanceOriginating in the United States (US), the QSEN project provided the seminal framework for transforming education and practice through defining the six quality and safety competencies (patient‐centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence‐based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informatics) essential to alleviate preventable healthcare harm. Results reveal opportunities to advance QSEN penetration in developing professional practice, guiding research measuring outcomes and impact, and extending global collaboration to examine cultural implications for diversity and inclusion.

Just Culture

“…Quality and safety education has substantially expanded since the incorporation of quality and safety competencies into nursing education 34. In this study, almost every participant reported a safety emphasis within their program of nursing, and 85% have documented that their program has a safety reporting system in place.…”

The QSEN Competency Legacy Threaded Through the Entry-Level AACN Essentials

“…2,8 The 6 QSEN competencies developed were patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informatics. The spread and impact of the QSEN competencies is evident by the adoption within schools of nursing, [9][10][11] the use of the QSEN content in the National State Boards of Nursing Residency programs, 12,13 the Future of Nursing Model, 14 nursing textbooks, [15][16][17][18] statewide initiatives, 19 and by several professional organizations that incorporated the QSEN competencies, such as the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses. 20 Because of the widespread integration of the QSEN competencies in both associate and baccalaureate programs, it is important to understand the overlap between the QSEN competencies and the AACN Essentials.…”

Surveillance and patient safety in nursing research: A bibliometric analysis from 1993 to 2023

“…While nurses constitute "the last line of defense" for patients' safety (Joy, 2009), and as they must take the lead in meeting the failure to rescue challenge that still exists in acute care settings (Burke et al, 2022), we need further understanding of the nature, extent and context of nurses' surveillance interventions and, more importantly, of the impact of such interventions on patient safety (Halverson & Tilley, 2022;Henneman et al, 2012). Now, an initial step in gaining such understanding may be taken by analysing the current corpus of nursing research literature on surveillance and patient safety, assessing in particular the field's critical areas in order to extend the discourse for researchers and practitioners (Sherwood et al, 2023). Given the preceding considerations, and by means of a bibliometric analysis, this study thus aims to:…”

“…While nurses constitute “the last line of defense” for patients' safety (Joy, 2009), and as they must take the lead in meeting the failure to rescue challenge that still exists in acute care settings (Burke et al, 2022), we need further understanding of the nature, extent and context of nurses' surveillance interventions and, more importantly, of the impact of such interventions on patient safety (Halverson & Tilley, 2022; Henneman et al, 2012). Now, an initial step in gaining such understanding may be taken by analysing the current corpus of nursing research literature on surveillance and patient safety, assessing in particular the field's critical areas in order to extend the discourse for researchers and practitioners (Sherwood et al, 2023). Given the preceding considerations, and by means of a bibliometric analysis, this study thus aims to: Identify and characterize the most relevant articles, authors, journals and research institutions in the nursing research field with regard to surveillance and patient safety; Identify and characterize the thematic structure of the nursing research field with regard to surveillance and patient safety; Identify and characterize the thematic evolution of the nursing research field with regard to surveillance and patient safety. …”