Patient safety in health education: competencies developed by students

Abstract

Objective: To identify patient safety competencies developed by health sciences students. Methods: Observational cross-sectional study. Students enrolled in the final year of Nursing and Medicine programs at an institution in Minas Gerais were included. Participants completed the validated Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS). The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. Results: A total of 128 undergraduate students were included in the study. Greater competencies were observed in the specific content section (such as hand hygiene, for example) than in the sections with broader questions related to the topic (such as opportunities for interaction with different team members, for example) and comfort in speaking up about patient safety. Effective communication, recognition, response, and disclosure of incidents were less developed in the clinical setting than in the classroom (p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings reinforce the need to go beyond the commonly used cross-sectional approach to patient safety in undergraduate education. Implementing a dedicated course may help foster the development of competencies.