What do nursing students learn about patient safety? An integrative literature review

Preventing adverse events and enhancing patient safety in health care are key objectives of nursing education. This integrative literature review critically appraises the content of patient safety in prelicensure nursing education, the teaching and learning methods used, and subsequent nursing student learning. The studies (N = 20) reviewed reveal that patient safety in nursing curricula was not necessarily obvious. However, patient safety was taught within both academic settings and clinical environments. The identified content of patient safety was learning from errors, responsible individual and interprofessional team working, anticipatory action in complex environments, and patient safety–centered nursing. The teaching and learning methods used included combining multiple methods. Patient safety curricula included continuing improvement in patient safety competency, sensitivity to nursing students’ role, and having a supportive learning environment. Patient safety in the nursing curriculum requires broad, comprehensive attention and development as a specific theme with an interprofessional approach. [J Nurs Educ. 2014;53(1):7–13.