Patient Safety

 

Endorsed by CNSA in January, 2009

 

WHEREAS the CNSA acts as the official voice of nursing students and encourages participation in professional and liberal education. The CNSA’s vision embraces the goals of professionalism, leadership, visibility, education and advocacy.

 

WHEREAS poorly managed health care that results in negative health consequences for patients continues to capture the interest of the public, the media, and individuals and groups that provide health care (Wong & Beglaryan, 2004). With the current staff shortages and the increasing strain on RNs there has been a significant rise in medical errors (Canadian Nurses Association, 2005). An estimated 5,000-10,000 lives are claimed in Canada each year due to adverse events (Wong & Beglaryan, 2004).

 

WHEREAS studies suggest that actions taken toward patient safety must be initiated by learning organizations in order to prepare undergraduates with an education grounded in a culture of safety (Callahan & Ruchlin, 2003; Gregory, Guse, Dick, & Russell, 2007). Evaluation of nursing students’ errors is primarily perceived as the individual student’s responsibility rather than considering the systematic factors that contribute to adverse events (Gregory, Guse, Dick, & Russell, 2007). Errors are contributed to by flaws in equipment, miscommunication, short-staffed units and nursing burn-out, the complexity of health systems, and disciplinary culture that deters the reporting of adverse events and learning (Wong & Beglaryan, 2004; CNA, 2005). A multi-faceted approach to address patient safety requires participation from different stakeholders: policy makers, educators, governments, professional associations and the public (Wong & Beglaryan, 2004).

 

WHEREAS “preventing individual and system errors and enhancing patient safety are shared responsibilities among schools of nursing, students, and clinical units.” (Gregory, Guse, Dick, & Russell, 2007, p. 81) The importance of educating new nurses and students on patient safety is paramount to ensuring that clients receive quality care. Patient safety initiatives may include:

  • Encouraging schools to include safety in evaluation of student nursing practice
  • Faculty Administration and clinical instructors adopting the perspective that mistakes are an opportunity to learn and improve rather than a “culture of blame”
  • Universities including the prevention of adverse events in curricula, developing policy on disclosure and benchmarks, and facilitating discussion of patient safety in clinical courses
  • Universities maintaining records and creating statistics on student errors so as to provide educational interventions in collaboration with clinical units
  • Supplementing clinical experiences with the replication of real-life crises using simulation technology to educate students on patient safety
  • Clinical placement settings clearly communicating patient-safety standards and enforcing those requirements
  • Professional associations disseminating knowledge on best practice

 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association endorses the Safety Competencies of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (2008) that are integrated into daily health care practice and contribute to the provision of safe care.

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the CNSA actively engage stakeholders, including but not limited to nursing schools and nursing organizations, in developing curricula and practice opportunities to prepare nursing students to provide safe, competent, ethical care.

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Vice-President/ Director of Inter/Intra-professional Education & Research, in conjunction with the Regional Directors, shall suggest and coordinate educational activities related to the promotion of patient safety initiatives in undergraduate education.

 

SUBMITTED BY:

Angela Espejo and Harmeet Minhas, University of Alberta

 

 

References

Callahan, M. A., Ruchlin, H. (2003) Patient safety. The role of nursing leadership in establishing a safety culture. Nursing Economics, 21, 296-297.

Canadian Nurses Association. (2005). The Nursing Perspective on Patient Safety.

Flanagan, B., Nestel, D., & Joseph, M. (2004). Making patient safety the focus: crisis resource management in the undergraduate curriculum. Medical Education, 38(1), 56-66. Retrieved January 26, 2009, from CINAHL Plus with Full Text database.

Frank JR, Brien S, (Editors) on behalf of The Safety Competencies Steering Committee.  The Safety Competencies: Enhancing Patient Safety Across the Health Professions.  Ottawa, ON: Canadian Patient Safety Institute; 2008.

Gregory, D., Guse, L., Dick, D., & Russell, C. (2007). Patient safety: where is nursing education?. Journal of Nursing Education, 46(2), 79-82. Retrieved January 26, 2009, from CINAHL Plus with Full Text database.

Krause, T., & Hidley, J. (2008). Five ways to think about patient safety. Trustee: The Journal For Hospital Governing Boards, 61(10), 24. Retrieved January 26, 2009, from MEDLINE with Full Text database.

Nicklin, W., Mass, H., Affonso, D., O'Connor, P., Ferguson-Pare, M., Jeffs, L., Tregunno, D. & White, P. (2004). Patient Safety Culture and Leadership within Canada's Academic Health Science Centres: Towards the Development of a Collaborative Position Paper. Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership, 17, 22-34.

Wong, J. & Beglaryan,H. (2004). Strategies for Hospitals to Improve Patient Safety: A Review of the Research. The Change Foundation and the Ontario Hospital Association