Nurses' patient safety competency, a predictor for safe care in psychiatric wards?

Purpose: This study examined the relationship between patient safety competence and safe care from the viewpoints of nurses working in psychiatry wards.
Design and Methods: The present descriptive correctional study was conducted in two psychiatry hospitals in Iran in 2020. All the nurses were selected as the study participants using the census sampling method (N = 209).
Findings: Nurses' patient safety competency was at a low level (2.54 ± 0.52), but nurses' safe care was at a moderate level (242.08 ± 61.32). A strong positive relationship was found between the patients' safety competency and nurses' safe care (p = 0.001, r = 0.84).
Practice Implications: Nursing managers should support nurses by providing the required resources and operational strategies to improve their competency and safe care in providing quality care.
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