title: Patient safety: nursing students' perspectives and the role of nursing education to provide safe care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nurses as the largest group of healthcare providers are in the best position to improve patient safety. In preparing future nurses, nurse educators have an important role in developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes among nursing students related to patient safety. The aim of this study was to explore Iranian nursing students' perspectives regarding patient safety and the role of nursing education in developing their capabilities to provide safe care.
  
  
  METHODS
  A purposeful sampling strategy was used to recruit 17 junior and senior nursing students for qualitative, semi-structured interviews. Content analysis of the interview transcripts was conducted to identify several relevant themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three main themes emerged from the data analysis: 'safety as patient comfort', 'not being knowledgeable or experienced enough' and 'being helped to internalise the principles and values of patient safety'. The third theme consisted of two categories: 'adopting a humanistic approach towards patients' and 'practising conscientiously in the workplace'.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study adds insights on how nursing students understand and may be helped to internalise concepts of patient safety within their practice. Nursing education curriculum designers need to go beyond theoretical concepts of patient safety education and devise strategies to increase the application of safety knowledge and competencies in nursing practice.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vaismoradi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salsali
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D061214:Patient Safety; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult