Nurses’ role in enhancing patient engagement in safety

Abstract

                 Patient safety is a vital part of health care service and it is the outcome of nursing profession.  One intervention has been shown to have significant benefit to patient safety is the engagement of patients. Patient engagement in patient safety can relate to many features of care such as receiving information, share opinion, and decision making.  Generally, nurses provide patient care 24 hours, then nurses have opportunities to enhance patients engagement in patient safety.   Enhancing patient engagement in patient safety is benefit for patients, health care providers and health care system. Factors related to patient engagement in patient safety are health care provider, patients, and the relationship between health care providers and patients.  The activities of engagement in patient safety are information giving, decision making, self-monitoring, and participation in quality care improving. Nurses’ roles in enhancing patient engagement in patient safety are presented in two dimensions:  administrative role and practice role. Nurse administrators can apply management process including planning, organizing, leading and controlling.  In addition, the practice role of nurses composed of making patient willingness to engage, giving information, giving risk information and prevention, and being a role model in participating for patient safety