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Patient safety competence in orthopaedic care: The interplay of education, orientation, and workplace learning

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Patient safety competence is a fundamental prerequisite for safe, high-quality healthcare. However, less is known about how healthcare professionals perceive their competence and how it develops. This study examined self-assessed patient safety competence of healthcare professionals working in orthopaedic care, across the WHO patient safety competence domains, perceived sources of competence development, and views on future learning needs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare professionals working in outpatient, ward, perioperative, anesthesia, rehabilitation, and managerial roles in a specialized orthopedic hospital in Finland. Self-assessed patient safety competence was relatively high across all domains. The highest ratings were observed in teamwork, infection prevention and control, and patient safety in invasive procedures, whereas systems thinking and understanding the impact of complexity on patient care received the lowest ratings. Significant differences were identified in patient, client, and family involvement, with the highest ratings reported by outpatient clinic nurses, and in infection prevention and control, where scrub nurses reported the highest competence. Practical clinical work and workplace orientation were perceived as the primary sources of competence, while formal continuing education played a less prominent role. Despite high competence ratings, respondents expressed substantial interest in further competence development, particularly through workplace-based learning and unit-level training. The findings suggest that patient safety competence develops primarily through experiential learning and workplace-based socialization rather than through formal education alone. Patient safety competence should therefore be understood not only as an individual capability but also as an organizational resource embedded in learning processes, knowledge sharing, and patient safety culture.

Source: International Journal of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijotn.2026.101334

Authors: Saara Ketola, Auvo Rauhala, Sini Eloranta

Institutions: Coxa Hospital, Åbo Akademi University, The Wellbeing Services County of Ostrobothnia, University of Turku, Turku University of Applied Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Patient Safety and Medication Errors

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,160