Patient Safety: Evidence for Pediatric Care from the Nursing Student's Perspective

Abstract

Introduction: Patient safety aims to reduce the risk of unnecessary harm associated with health care to an acceptable minimum, and is constantly being addressed at various levels of health care. Objective: The aim of this study was to verify nursing students' perceptions of patient safety in the pediatric unit. Material and Methods: This is a descriptive exploratory study, with a mixed approach (quantitative + qualitative), presenting different perspectives of nursing students related to patient safety in pediatric emergency care units through field research. Results and Discussion: Analyzing the data, of the 51 people who responded to the form, 100% described that patient safety is of paramount importance within the hospital environment, with the nursing service being fundamental to the patient's recovery. With regard to the facilities and difficulties encountered in maintaining the safety of pediatric patients, 1.9% were unable to answer, while 98.1% said that it was easy to have daily contact with the patient and that the difficulty was the great demand that professionals have. It should be noted that of the 100% of people who answered the survey, 31.37% had not taken any additional courses or attended a lecture on the subject of patient safety. Conclusion: It is common knowledge that patient safety is extremely important, especially for pediatric patients, which is the subject covered in the article. It is also notable that more and more academics are seeking to raise awareness and become informed on the subject.

Keywords: Nursing; Pediatrics; Patient Safety.