A Survey on the Perception of Psychiatric Hospital Nurses on Patient Safety

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the patient safety status and patient safety education contents and methods perceived by nurses working in psychiatric hospitals. Methods: Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire for psychiatric hospital nurses who had worked for more than one year. A total of 157 questionnaires were filled and were used for analysis using descriptive statistics. Open-ended questions about the contents and methods of patient safety education were classified by each researcher and a reclassification was conducted by consensus through discussions. Results: Overall, 142 nurses (90.4%) experienced patient safety accident during the previous 1 month. Among those who experienced a patient safety accident, profanity, violence, and aggression-related accident counted for the highest percentage (82.8%). The demand for education on workplace stress management and education on psychiatric medication were the highest. Required education methods included case-by-case education on patient safety accidents, regular and continuous education, and small-scale face-to-face education. Conclusion: In the future, it is necessary to actively utilize the results of this study as basic data for in-depth research on the causes of patient safety accidents, accident prevention, and the workload of nursing personnel.