Adverse events related to nursing practise in emergency context: a descriptive-correlational study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0221e.44673Keywords:
nursing; adverse event; risk management; patient safety; hospital emergency serviceAbstract
Introduction: Safety and quality of care are particularly relevant in emergency departments, where overcrowding, patients’ clinical complexity, and heavy workloads increase the risk of adverse events.
Objective: To analyse the relationship between the implementation of nursing practices and the incidence of adverse events as perceived by nurses working in an emergency department.
Methods: A quantitative, descriptive-correlational, and cross-sectional study was conducted, including a sample of 59 nurses from a Portuguese medical-surgical emergency department.
Results: The findings indicate the need for improvement in several dimensions of nursing practice: Fall Prevention (M = 2.53), Pressure Ulcer Prevention (M = 3.14), Medication Monitoring Failures (M = 2.55), Medication Preparation (M = 3.07), Medication Administration (M = 3.77), Patient Surveillance (M = 3.53), Patient Advocacy (M = 3.72), Privacy and Confidentiality (M = 3.83), and Environmental Hygiene and Use of Personal Protective Equipment (M = 3.90).
Regarding the risk and occurrence of adverse events, the risk of falls and pressure ulcers (M = 3.42), as well as Healthcare-Associated Infections (M = 3.42), requires priority intervention, as they fall within the critical performance zone.
Conclusion: Nurses’ perceptions of preventive practices and the risk of adverse events are below recommended standards. However, nurses with specific training in the emergency context perceive fewer preventive practices and a higher occurrence of adverse events, highlighting the importance of strengthening educational strategies related to preventive practices and implementing targeted safety measures to mitigate adverse events in this setting.
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