Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Patient safety and infection control: bases for curricular integration

Seguridad del paciente y control de infección: bases para la integración curricular

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To analyze curricular integration between teaching of patient safety and good infection prevention and control practices.

Method:

Integrative review, designed to answer the question: “How does curricular integration of content about ‘patient safety teaching’ and content about ‘infection prevention and control practices’ occur in undergraduate courses in the health field?”. The following databases were searched for primary studies: CINAHL, LILACS, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus, Europe PMC and MEDLINE.

Results:

The final sample consisted of 13 studies. After content analysis, primary studies were grouped into two subject categories: “Innovative teaching practices” and “Curricular evaluation.

Conclusion:

Patient safety related to infection prevention and control practices is present in the curriculum of health undergraduate courses, but is not coordinated with other themes, is taught sporadically, and focuses mainly on hand hygiene.

Descriptors:
Patient Safety; Teaching; Infection; Curriculum; Higher Education

RESUMEN

Objetivo:

Analizar, partiendo de la literatura, la integración curricular entre enseñanza sobre seguridad del paciente y buenas prácticas de prevención y control de infección.

Método:

Revisión integrativa orientada a responder la pregunta: “¿Cómo sucede la integración curricular entre los contenidos ‘enseñanza sobre seguridad del paciente’ y ‘prácticas de prevención y control de infección’ en cursos de grado en salud?”. Se utilizaron las bases CINAHL, LILACS, Science Direct, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Europe PMC y Medline para recuperar estudios primarios.

Resultados:

Muestra compuesta por trece estudios. Luego de análisis de contenido, los estudios primarios fueron subdivididos en dos categorías temáticas: “Prácticas de enseñanza innovadoras” y “Evaluación Curricular”.

Conclusión:

La seguridad del paciente respecto de prácticas de prevención y control de infección, a pesar de contemplarse en los currículos de cursos de grado en salud, es enseñada de modo puntual, diluido y desarticulado, con foco predominante en la higiene de las manos.

Descriptores:
Seguridad del Paciente; Enseñanza; Infección; Curriculum; Educación Superior

RESUMO

Objetivo:

Analisar, a partir da literatura, a integração curricular entre o ensino da segurança do paciente e as boas práticas de prevenção e o controle de infecção.

Método:

Revisão integrativa, com vistas à responder a seguinte questão: “Como ocorre a integração curricular entre os conteúdos ‘ensino da segurança do paciente’ e ‘práticas de prevenção e controle de infecção’ nos cursos de graduação em saúde?”. Utilizou-se as bases CINAHL, LILACS, Science direct, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Europe PMC, e Medline para recuperar os estudos primários.

Resultados:

13 estudos compuseram a amostra. Após uma análise de conteúdo, os estudos primários foram subdivididos em duas categorias temáticas: “Práticas de ensino inovadoras” e “Avaliação Curricular”.

Conclusão:

A segurança do paciente, relacionada às práticas de prevenção e controle da infecção, embora contemplada nos currículos de ensino de graduação em saúde, é ensinada de forma pontual, diluída e desarticulada, focadas predominantemente na higiene das mãos.

Descritores:
Segurança do Paciente; Ensino; Infecção; Currículo; Educação Superior

INTRODUCTION

Patient safety is a widely discussed subject worldwide, especially because of the high incidence of adverse events in health institutions. Its implementation involves a set of strategies and interventions capable of preventing and/or minimizing risks and harm to patients and keeping them at acceptable minimum levels(11 Duarte SC, Stipp MA, Silva MM, Oliveira FT. Adverse events and safety in nursing care. Rev Bras Enferm [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 68(1):144-54. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/reben/v68n1/en_0034-7167-reben-68-01-0144.pdf
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/reben/v68n1/en_...
-22 van Rosse F, Bruijne M, Suurmond J, Essink-Bot ML, Wagner C. Language barriers and patient safety risks in hospital care: a mixed methods study. Int J Nurs Stud [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 54:45-53. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25840899
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2584...
).

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) stand out among the factors that represent threats to patient safety, both because of their high frequency and the high morbimortality that they cause. This problem has challenged scientific and technological advances and prompted professionals, researchers and organizations to propose effective prevention and control measures(33 Carayon P, Xie A, Kianfar S. Human factors and ergonomics as a patient safety practice. BMJ Qual Saf [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 23:196-205. Available from: http://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/23/3/196.full.
http://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/23/...
-44 Batista OMA, Alexandria FED, Valle ARMC, Santo MSG, Madeira MZA, Sousa AFL. Sensitivity of embryos related to the pneumonia associated with the ventilation mechanics. J Res Fundam Care [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 5(6):224-33. Available from: http://www.seer.unirio.br/index.php/cuidadofundamental/article/view/3447
http://www.seer.unirio.br/index.php/cuid...
).

Faced with this issue, the Brazilian Ministry of Health instituted the National Patient Safety Program in 2013, based on international guidelines, to prevent and/or reduce the incidence of adverse effects related to healthcare services. This program ensured the inclusion of the topic of ‘patient safety’ in the curriculum of health undergraduate courses(55 Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Portaria n. 529, de 1º de Abril de 2013: Institui o Programa Nacional de Segurança do Paciente (PNSP) [Internet]. Brasília (DF): Ministério da Saúde; 2013 [cited 2017 Mar 17]. Available from: http://www.ucasaude.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Portaria-529-de-01-04-2013.pdf
http://www.ucasaude.com.br/wp-content/up...
), but did not specify the mechanisms that should be used to evaluate the insertion of this subject.

Undergraduate courses in the health field play an important role in the promotion of knowledge, skills and attitudes associated with patient safety and contribute to safe practices and actions to deal with situations of risk. Nevertheless, health training oriented to patient safety is a variable that is difficult to assess, and the absence of systematic evaluation models that guide the teaching of this topic makes this task even more hard to carry out(66 Ki ORM, Leitão IMTA, Silva LMS, Figueiredo SV, Sampaio RL, Gondim MM. Strategies for promoting patient safety: from the identification of the risks to the evidence-based practices. Esc Anna Nery Rev Enferm [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 18(1):122-9. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ean/v18n1/en_1414-8145-ean-18-01-0122.pdf
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ean/v18n1/en_14...

7 Escher C, Creutzfeldt J, Meurling L, Hedman L, Kjellin A, Felländer-Tsai L. Medical students’ situational motivation to participate in simulation based team training is predicted by attitudes to patient safety. BMC Med Educ [Internet]. 2017 Mar [cited 2017 Mar 17];17:37. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5301395/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...
-88 Weaver SJ, Dy SM, Rosen MA. Team-training in healthcare: a narrative synthesis of the literature. BMJ Qual Saf [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 23(5):359-72. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24501181
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2450...
).

Taking into account these difficulties, the World Health Organization proposed an evaluation tool based on the examination of the topics in the curricula of health undergraduate courses; however, there is no multicenter research providing a worldwide overview of this aspect.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the curricular integration of content about patient safety and content about infection prevention and control practices by analyzing the literature.

METHOD

The present paper is an integrative literature review, one of the main documentation resources of evidence-based practice. This type of publication summarizes the empirical literature about a specific topic and provides a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon under discussion(1010 Fineout-Overholt E, Stillwell SB. Asking compelling, clinical questions. In: Melnyk BM, Fineout-Overholt E. Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: a guide to best practice. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer, Lippincot Williams & Wilkins; 2011 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 25-39.).

The execution of the study encompassed the following steps: formulation of the guiding question; sampling; definition of the study characteristics by determining inclusion and exclusion criteria; analysis of the publications included in the sample; interpretation of results; and presentation of the review or synthesis of knowledge.

The guiding research question was: “How does curricular integration of content about ‘patient safety’ and content about ‘infection prevention and control practices’ occur in undergraduate courses in the health field?”

The search for primary studies was carried out in the following databases: the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Latin America and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (LILACS), ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus, Europe PMC and MEDLINE (accessed through the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed website).

Inclusion criteria were papers about the topic published in Portuguese, English or Spanish, with an available abstract, and no restriction regarding the publishing year. The search was carried out by crossing the descriptors “Patient Safety,” “Education, Graduate,” “Curriculum” and “Nosocomial Infection.” In LILACS, the expressions were written in Portuguese, English and Spanish; in the other databases, only the English terms were used.

The search was performed in February and March 2016, and the seven databases were consulted simultaneously. The papers were analyzed by three researchers; two were experts on the subject and the investigation method. Paper selection was carried out in pairs to avoid selection bias. Chart 1 shows the search procedure used in each database and the number of papers found.

Chart 1
Search procedure and number of papers obtained in each database, 2016

Of the 405 papers found in the databases, the following were excluded: 227 because they did not address the topic directly; 96 because they did not fully meet the inclusion criteria; and 37 because they were duplicates. Subsequently, 45 papers were fully read by two researchers, who selected 13 publications to make up the sample of the present review.

Paper selection was carried out through careful reading of title and abstract to check the adequacy of the guiding questions. Analysis of the material was performed descriptively.

RESULTS

Most of the 13 studies examined in the review originated from higher education institutions; five (35.7%) were from the United States and two (14.2%) from Brazil. Seven articles (53.8%) were published over five years ago, and most were published between 2005 and 2015.

After a thorough analysis of the studies, the material was grouped into two subject categories: innovative teaching practices (nine papers or 64.3%); and curricular evaluation (four papers, 35.7%). Chart 2 lists the studies included in the review sample and their characteristics.

Chart 2
Distribution of the selected studies according to title, subject category, database, year, design, intervention and outcomes, 2016

DISCUSSION

The topic of infection-related patient safety is spread out over many subjects and addressed superficially in the curricula of health courses. Although infection one of the factors that have the highest risk of harm to patients, the content associated with the topic focuses excessively on hand washing, with a simplistic approach based on repetition of techniques. Studies have revealed that the conceptual basis requires a theoretical foundation and objectivity to establish a connection with nursing and medical practice, and that insufficient in-depth teaching on the theme does not allow its retention by students.

Healthcare-associated infections are widely occurring phenomena that compromise health safety in addition to patient safety, and affect patients, professionals and the entire health system. Their direct consequences include increases in morbimortality, longer hospital stays, higher healthcare costs, higher antimicrobial resistance, and higher risks to the professionals who provide care(2424 Valle ARMC, Andrade D, Sousa AFL, Carvalho PRM. Infection prevention and control in households: nursing challenges and implications. Acta Paul Enferm [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 29(2):239-44. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1982-0194201600033
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1982-019420160...
).

Consequently, unsafe care increases the chances of mistakes, given that safety pervades all health quality dimensions. Patient safety interventions focused on prevention of negative situations and monitoring of potentially harmful procedures reduce the possibility of iatrogenesis and other adverse events.

Healthcare-associated infections, including their principles, pathogenesis and transmission mechanisms, are part of the curriculum of health-related courses worldwide. Nevertheless, prevention and control of this type of infections as an indicator of quality and safety is little explored, even in medical school in developed countries(1818 Botene DZAB, Pedro ENRB. Health Professionals and hand hygiene: a question of pediatric patient safety. Rev Gaúcha Enferm [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 35(3):124-9. Available from http://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/RevistaGauchadeEnfermagem/article/view/44306/31526

19 Wilson AR, Fabri PJ, Wolfson J. Human error and patient safety: interdisciplinary course. Teach Learn Med [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 24(1):18-25. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22250931
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2225...

20 Varkey P, Karlapudi S, Rose S, Swensen S. A patient safety curriculum for graduate medical education: Results from a needs assessment of educators and patient safety experts. Am J Med Qual [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 24:214-1. Available from: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1062860609332905
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1...

21 Allen S, Caton C, Cluver J, Mainous AG, Clyburn B. Targeting improvements in patient safety at a large academic center: an institutional handoff curriculum for graduate medical education. Acad Med [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 89(10):1366-9. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25119553
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2511...

22 Currie LM, Desjardins KS, Levine ES. Web-based hazard and near-miss reporting as part of a patient safety curriculum. J Nurs Educ [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 48(12):669-77. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20000248
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2000...
-2323 Bohomol E, Cunha ICKO. Teaching patient safety in the medical undergraduate program at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Einstein [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 13(1):7-13. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/eins/v13n1/1679-4508-eins-13-1-007.pdf
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/eins/v13n1/1679...
,2525 O’Brien D, Richards J, Walton KE, Phillips MG, Humphreys H. Survey of teaching/learning of healthcare-associated infections in UK and Irish medical schools. J Hosp Infect [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 73(2):171-5. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19709777
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1970...
). This is a consequence of overvaluing content that helps develop clinical skills, such as diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment and follow-up, to the detriment of actions oriented to quality and safety in processes related to patient care(2424 Valle ARMC, Andrade D, Sousa AFL, Carvalho PRM. Infection prevention and control in households: nursing challenges and implications. Acta Paul Enferm [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 29(2):239-44. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1982-0194201600033
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1982-019420160...
).

One of the biggest obstacles to maintaining care quality relates to training of professionals(22 van Rosse F, Bruijne M, Suurmond J, Essink-Bot ML, Wagner C. Language barriers and patient safety risks in hospital care: a mixed methods study. Int J Nurs Stud [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 54:45-53. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25840899
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2584...
). The present review showed that higher education institutions have made efforts to create innovative curricula that are capable of incorporating patient safety and focused on prevention of mistakes that cause harm to patients, especially those related to HAIs(1111 Al-Hussami M, Darawad M. Compliance of nursing students with infection prevention precautions: effectiveness of a teaching program. Am J Infect Control [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 41(4):332-6. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23036481
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2303...

12 Huang Y, Xie W, Zeng J, Law F, Ba-Thein W. Limited knowledge and practice of Chinese medical students regarding health-care associated infections. J Infect Dev Ctries [Internet]. 2013; [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 7:144-51. Available from: http://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/23416661/832
http://jidc.org/index.php/journal/articl...

13 Wagner DP, Parker CJ, Mavis BE, Smith MK. An interdisciplinary infection control education intervention: necessary but not sufficient. J Grad Med Educ [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 3(2):203-10. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184921/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...

14 Shekhter I, Nevo I, Fitzpatrick M, Everett-Thomas R, Sanko JS, Birnbach DJ. Creating a common patient safety denominator: the Interns’ Course. J Grad Med Educ [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 1(2):269-72. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931250/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...

15 Dogra S, Mahsjan R, Jad B. Educational interventions to improve knowledge and skills of interns towards prevention and control of hospital-associated infections. Int J Appl Basic Med Res [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 5(1):54-7. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4552068/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...

16 Yoshikawa JM, Sousa BEC, Peterlini MAS, Kusahara DM, Pedreira MLG, Avelar AFM. Comprehension of undergraduate students in nursing and medicine on patient safety. Acta Paul Enferm [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2016 Dec 15]; 26(1):21-9. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ape/v26n1/en_05.pdf
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ape/v26n1/en_05...

17 Wetzel AP, Dow AW, Mazmanian PE. Patient safety attitudes and behaviors of graduating medical students. Eval Health Prof [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 35:221-38. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21788294
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2178...

18 Botene DZAB, Pedro ENRB. Health Professionals and hand hygiene: a question of pediatric patient safety. Rev Gaúcha Enferm [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 35(3):124-9. Available from http://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/RevistaGauchadeEnfermagem/article/view/44306/31526
-1919 Wilson AR, Fabri PJ, Wolfson J. Human error and patient safety: interdisciplinary course. Teach Learn Med [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 24(1):18-25. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22250931
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2225...
). To achieve this objective, institutions have resorted to instruments that facilitate the learning and retention of this topic, given that the traditional teaching method based on the “see one, do one, teach one” strategy is considered out-of-date, ineffective, unstructured and unattractive to students, which hinders knowledge retention(2626 Kotsis SV, Chung KC. Application of the “see one, do one, teach one” concept in surgical training. Plast Reconstr Surg [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 131(5):1194-201. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23629100
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2362...
).

The literature emphasizes that students’ clinical skills and performance are directly influenced by the available teaching resources and the innovations that they represent(1111 Al-Hussami M, Darawad M. Compliance of nursing students with infection prevention precautions: effectiveness of a teaching program. Am J Infect Control [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 41(4):332-6. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23036481
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2303...

12 Huang Y, Xie W, Zeng J, Law F, Ba-Thein W. Limited knowledge and practice of Chinese medical students regarding health-care associated infections. J Infect Dev Ctries [Internet]. 2013; [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 7:144-51. Available from: http://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/23416661/832
http://jidc.org/index.php/journal/articl...

13 Wagner DP, Parker CJ, Mavis BE, Smith MK. An interdisciplinary infection control education intervention: necessary but not sufficient. J Grad Med Educ [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 3(2):203-10. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184921/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...

14 Shekhter I, Nevo I, Fitzpatrick M, Everett-Thomas R, Sanko JS, Birnbach DJ. Creating a common patient safety denominator: the Interns’ Course. J Grad Med Educ [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 1(2):269-72. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931250/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...

15 Dogra S, Mahsjan R, Jad B. Educational interventions to improve knowledge and skills of interns towards prevention and control of hospital-associated infections. Int J Appl Basic Med Res [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 5(1):54-7. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4552068/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...

16 Yoshikawa JM, Sousa BEC, Peterlini MAS, Kusahara DM, Pedreira MLG, Avelar AFM. Comprehension of undergraduate students in nursing and medicine on patient safety. Acta Paul Enferm [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2016 Dec 15]; 26(1):21-9. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ape/v26n1/en_05.pdf
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ape/v26n1/en_05...

17 Wetzel AP, Dow AW, Mazmanian PE. Patient safety attitudes and behaviors of graduating medical students. Eval Health Prof [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 35:221-38. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21788294
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2178...

18 Botene DZAB, Pedro ENRB. Health Professionals and hand hygiene: a question of pediatric patient safety. Rev Gaúcha Enferm [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 35(3):124-9. Available from http://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/RevistaGauchadeEnfermagem/article/view/44306/31526
-1919 Wilson AR, Fabri PJ, Wolfson J. Human error and patient safety: interdisciplinary course. Teach Learn Med [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 24(1):18-25. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22250931
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2225...
). Among the most-explored technological tools in the studies, the use of software(1111 Al-Hussami M, Darawad M. Compliance of nursing students with infection prevention precautions: effectiveness of a teaching program. Am J Infect Control [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 41(4):332-6. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23036481
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2303...
-1212 Huang Y, Xie W, Zeng J, Law F, Ba-Thein W. Limited knowledge and practice of Chinese medical students regarding health-care associated infections. J Infect Dev Ctries [Internet]. 2013; [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 7:144-51. Available from: http://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/23416661/832
http://jidc.org/index.php/journal/articl...
), on-line modules(1313 Wagner DP, Parker CJ, Mavis BE, Smith MK. An interdisciplinary infection control education intervention: necessary but not sufficient. J Grad Med Educ [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 3(2):203-10. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184921/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...
,1515 Dogra S, Mahsjan R, Jad B. Educational interventions to improve knowledge and skills of interns towards prevention and control of hospital-associated infections. Int J Appl Basic Med Res [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 5(1):54-7. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4552068/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...
,1717 Wetzel AP, Dow AW, Mazmanian PE. Patient safety attitudes and behaviors of graduating medical students. Eval Health Prof [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 35:221-38. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21788294
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2178...
) and simulated scenarios(1414 Shekhter I, Nevo I, Fitzpatrick M, Everett-Thomas R, Sanko JS, Birnbach DJ. Creating a common patient safety denominator: the Interns’ Course. J Grad Med Educ [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 1(2):269-72. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931250/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...
,1818 Botene DZAB, Pedro ENRB. Health Professionals and hand hygiene: a question of pediatric patient safety. Rev Gaúcha Enferm [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 35(3):124-9. Available from http://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/RevistaGauchadeEnfermagem/article/view/44306/31526-1919 Wilson AR, Fabri PJ, Wolfson J. Human error and patient safety: interdisciplinary course. Teach Learn Med [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 24(1):18-25. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22250931
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2225...
) stood out. These methods are more versatile, and make initial interactions with patients safer, because professors can control and manipulate the conditions they are interested in. For instance, simulations allow the reproduction of rare, complex or high-risk scenarios for patients and students. In addition, they are a proper setting for developing skills related to sociocultural aspects, such as teamwork, risk management and safety culture, pointed to by students as “those about which they feel less confident in their practice”(2727 Holland R, Meyers D, Hildebrand C, Bridges A, Roach M, Vogelman B. Creating champions for health care quality and safety. Am J Med Qual [Internet]. 2010 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 5(2):102-8. Available from: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1062860609352108
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
-2828 Sittig DF, Classen DC, Singh H. Patient safety goals for the proposed Federal Health Information Technology Safety Center. J Am Med Inform Assoc [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 22(2):472-8. Available from: http://jamia.oxfordjournals.org/content/jaminfo/22/2/472.full.pdf
http://jamia.oxfordjournals.org/content/...
).

Knowledge is consolidated through the experiences that students establish with their study object. As a consequence, investing in innovative teaching strategies is a feasible alternative for teaching patient safety and its aspects as they relate to prevention and control of HAIs(2020 Varkey P, Karlapudi S, Rose S, Swensen S. A patient safety curriculum for graduate medical education: Results from a needs assessment of educators and patient safety experts. Am J Med Qual [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 24:214-1. Available from: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1062860609332905
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1...

21 Allen S, Caton C, Cluver J, Mainous AG, Clyburn B. Targeting improvements in patient safety at a large academic center: an institutional handoff curriculum for graduate medical education. Acad Med [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 89(10):1366-9. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25119553
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2511...

22 Currie LM, Desjardins KS, Levine ES. Web-based hazard and near-miss reporting as part of a patient safety curriculum. J Nurs Educ [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 48(12):669-77. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20000248
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2000...
-2323 Bohomol E, Cunha ICKO. Teaching patient safety in the medical undergraduate program at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Einstein [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 13(1):7-13. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/eins/v13n1/1679-4508-eins-13-1-007.pdf
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/eins/v13n1/1679...
).

The outcomes of the present review show that, as a method of promoting patient safety, the study of HAIs is restricted to the teaching of hand hygiene(1212 Huang Y, Xie W, Zeng J, Law F, Ba-Thein W. Limited knowledge and practice of Chinese medical students regarding health-care associated infections. J Infect Dev Ctries [Internet]. 2013; [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 7:144-51. Available from: http://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/23416661/832
http://jidc.org/index.php/journal/articl...
,1414 Shekhter I, Nevo I, Fitzpatrick M, Everett-Thomas R, Sanko JS, Birnbach DJ. Creating a common patient safety denominator: the Interns’ Course. J Grad Med Educ [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 1(2):269-72. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931250/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...
-1515 Dogra S, Mahsjan R, Jad B. Educational interventions to improve knowledge and skills of interns towards prevention and control of hospital-associated infections. Int J Appl Basic Med Res [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 5(1):54-7. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4552068/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...
,1818 Botene DZAB, Pedro ENRB. Health Professionals and hand hygiene: a question of pediatric patient safety. Rev Gaúcha Enferm [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 35(3):124-9. Available from http://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/RevistaGauchadeEnfermagem/article/view/44306/31526,2020 Varkey P, Karlapudi S, Rose S, Swensen S. A patient safety curriculum for graduate medical education: Results from a needs assessment of educators and patient safety experts. Am J Med Qual [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 24:214-1. Available from: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1062860609332905
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
). Even though the World Health Organization has established hand hygiene as an international patient safety goal, limiting good practices to a single set of procedures expresses a positivist line of thought, and is based on practical and utilitarian indicators that value procedures and technique.

The selected studies reveal that little is taught about human fallibility. Although failures and misconceptions are present in medical practice, they remain poorly understood, because of the potential harm associated with errors. They are commonly denied because they are feared. Medical errors not only occur, but are also considered unavoidable(2323 Bohomol E, Cunha ICKO. Teaching patient safety in the medical undergraduate program at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Einstein [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 13(1):7-13. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/eins/v13n1/1679-4508-eins-13-1-007.pdf
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/eins/v13n1/1679...
,2929 Gorovitz S, MacIntyre A. Toward a theory of medical fallibility. Hastings Cent Rep [Internet]. 1975 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 5(6):13-23. Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2307/3560992/epdf
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.23...
).

The main recommendations of the studies include that the teaching of patient safety must draw upon two principles: interdisciplinarity and innovation. The potential approaching the topic in all subjects, especially those whose aim is to develop theoretical-technical skills, must be a transverse axis in the training of healthcare professionals. Encouraging evaluation and the practice of self-criticism must also be part of pedagogical routines, since they should occur in all subjects(3030 Sousa AFL, Matos MCB, Matos JGNF, Sousa LRM, Moura MEB, Andrade D. Prevention and control of infection in professional 199 nursing training: a descriptive study. O Braz J Nurs [Internet] 2017 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 16(2):199-208. Available from: http://www.objnursing.uff.br/index.php/nursing/article/view/5560
http://www.objnursing.uff.br/index.php/n...
).

Study limitations

Because the present review was integrative, the results depict only the investigated reality. In addition, the low number of randomized clinical trials in the sample prevents comparison of interventions.

Contributions to the Nursing, health or public policy areas

The increasing occurrence of adverse events in care processes evidences training deficiencies. The present study is an important contribution to the design of undergraduate courses in the health field. It provides an overview of the recent context in health education worldwide, along with tools to be used to tackle and resolve issues in the teaching of patient safety. The review shows that the teaching techniques that are currently in use are out-of-date and uncoordinated, and points to the use of new didactic tools, such as clinical simulation and information technology.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

Patient safety related to infection prevention and control practices is included in the curriculum of health undergraduate courses sporadically and in an uncoordinated way. The current superficial approach includes simpler aspects, such as hand hygiene. Few studies focused on biopsychosocial aspects (safety culture, communication and teamwork).

The authors believe that more in-depth approaches throughout healthcare courses that go beyond the teaching of isolated practices can contribute to the training of professionals and make them aware of patient safety issues. This will have a direct impact on the quality of the care delivered.

REFERENCES

  • 1
    Duarte SC, Stipp MA, Silva MM, Oliveira FT. Adverse events and safety in nursing care. Rev Bras Enferm [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 68(1):144-54. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/reben/v68n1/en_0034-7167-reben-68-01-0144.pdf
    » http://www.scielo.br/pdf/reben/v68n1/en_0034-7167-reben-68-01-0144.pdf
  • 2
    van Rosse F, Bruijne M, Suurmond J, Essink-Bot ML, Wagner C. Language barriers and patient safety risks in hospital care: a mixed methods study. Int J Nurs Stud [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 54:45-53. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25840899
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25840899
  • 3
    Carayon P, Xie A, Kianfar S. Human factors and ergonomics as a patient safety practice. BMJ Qual Saf [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 23:196-205. Available from: http://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/23/3/196.full.
    » http://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/23/3/196.full.
  • 4
    Batista OMA, Alexandria FED, Valle ARMC, Santo MSG, Madeira MZA, Sousa AFL. Sensitivity of embryos related to the pneumonia associated with the ventilation mechanics. J Res Fundam Care [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 5(6):224-33. Available from: http://www.seer.unirio.br/index.php/cuidadofundamental/article/view/3447
    » http://www.seer.unirio.br/index.php/cuidadofundamental/article/view/3447
  • 5
    Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Portaria n. 529, de 1º de Abril de 2013: Institui o Programa Nacional de Segurança do Paciente (PNSP) [Internet]. Brasília (DF): Ministério da Saúde; 2013 [cited 2017 Mar 17]. Available from: http://www.ucasaude.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Portaria-529-de-01-04-2013.pdf
    » http://www.ucasaude.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Portaria-529-de-01-04-2013.pdf
  • 6
    Ki ORM, Leitão IMTA, Silva LMS, Figueiredo SV, Sampaio RL, Gondim MM. Strategies for promoting patient safety: from the identification of the risks to the evidence-based practices. Esc Anna Nery Rev Enferm [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 18(1):122-9. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ean/v18n1/en_1414-8145-ean-18-01-0122.pdf
    » http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ean/v18n1/en_1414-8145-ean-18-01-0122.pdf
  • 7
    Escher C, Creutzfeldt J, Meurling L, Hedman L, Kjellin A, Felländer-Tsai L. Medical students’ situational motivation to participate in simulation based team training is predicted by attitudes to patient safety. BMC Med Educ [Internet]. 2017 Mar [cited 2017 Mar 17];17:37. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5301395/
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5301395/
  • 8
    Weaver SJ, Dy SM, Rosen MA. Team-training in healthcare: a narrative synthesis of the literature. BMJ Qual Saf [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 23(5):359-72. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24501181
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24501181
  • 9
    World Health Organization. World Alliance for Patient Safety: The Second Global Patient Safety Challenge: Safe Surgery Saves Lives [Internet]. Genebra: WHO, 2011[cited 2016 Nov 10]. Available from: http://www.who.int/patientsafety/safesurgery/en/
    » http://www.who.int/patientsafety/safesurgery/en/
  • 10
    Fineout-Overholt E, Stillwell SB. Asking compelling, clinical questions. In: Melnyk BM, Fineout-Overholt E. Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: a guide to best practice. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer, Lippincot Williams & Wilkins; 2011 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 25-39.
  • 11
    Al-Hussami M, Darawad M. Compliance of nursing students with infection prevention precautions: effectiveness of a teaching program. Am J Infect Control [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 41(4):332-6. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23036481
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23036481
  • 12
    Huang Y, Xie W, Zeng J, Law F, Ba-Thein W. Limited knowledge and practice of Chinese medical students regarding health-care associated infections. J Infect Dev Ctries [Internet]. 2013; [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 7:144-51. Available from: http://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/23416661/832
    » http://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/23416661/832
  • 13
    Wagner DP, Parker CJ, Mavis BE, Smith MK. An interdisciplinary infection control education intervention: necessary but not sufficient. J Grad Med Educ [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 3(2):203-10. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184921/
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184921/
  • 14
    Shekhter I, Nevo I, Fitzpatrick M, Everett-Thomas R, Sanko JS, Birnbach DJ. Creating a common patient safety denominator: the Interns’ Course. J Grad Med Educ [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2016 Dec 14]; 1(2):269-72. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931250/
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931250/
  • 15
    Dogra S, Mahsjan R, Jad B. Educational interventions to improve knowledge and skills of interns towards prevention and control of hospital-associated infections. Int J Appl Basic Med Res [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 5(1):54-7. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4552068/
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4552068/
  • 16
    Yoshikawa JM, Sousa BEC, Peterlini MAS, Kusahara DM, Pedreira MLG, Avelar AFM. Comprehension of undergraduate students in nursing and medicine on patient safety. Acta Paul Enferm [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2016 Dec 15]; 26(1):21-9. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ape/v26n1/en_05.pdf
    » http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ape/v26n1/en_05.pdf
  • 17
    Wetzel AP, Dow AW, Mazmanian PE. Patient safety attitudes and behaviors of graduating medical students. Eval Health Prof [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 35:221-38. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21788294
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21788294
  • 18
    Botene DZAB, Pedro ENRB. Health Professionals and hand hygiene: a question of pediatric patient safety. Rev Gaúcha Enferm [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 35(3):124-9. Available from http://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/RevistaGauchadeEnfermagem/article/view/44306/31526
  • 19
    Wilson AR, Fabri PJ, Wolfson J. Human error and patient safety: interdisciplinary course. Teach Learn Med [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 24(1):18-25. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22250931
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22250931
  • 20
    Varkey P, Karlapudi S, Rose S, Swensen S. A patient safety curriculum for graduate medical education: Results from a needs assessment of educators and patient safety experts. Am J Med Qual [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 24:214-1. Available from: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1062860609332905
    » http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1062860609332905
  • 21
    Allen S, Caton C, Cluver J, Mainous AG, Clyburn B. Targeting improvements in patient safety at a large academic center: an institutional handoff curriculum for graduate medical education. Acad Med [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 89(10):1366-9. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25119553
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25119553
  • 22
    Currie LM, Desjardins KS, Levine ES. Web-based hazard and near-miss reporting as part of a patient safety curriculum. J Nurs Educ [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 19]; 48(12):669-77. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20000248
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20000248
  • 23
    Bohomol E, Cunha ICKO. Teaching patient safety in the medical undergraduate program at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Einstein [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 13(1):7-13. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/eins/v13n1/1679-4508-eins-13-1-007.pdf
    » http://www.scielo.br/pdf/eins/v13n1/1679-4508-eins-13-1-007.pdf
  • 24
    Valle ARMC, Andrade D, Sousa AFL, Carvalho PRM. Infection prevention and control in households: nursing challenges and implications. Acta Paul Enferm [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 29(2):239-44. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1982-0194201600033
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1982-0194201600033
  • 25
    O’Brien D, Richards J, Walton KE, Phillips MG, Humphreys H. Survey of teaching/learning of healthcare-associated infections in UK and Irish medical schools. J Hosp Infect [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 73(2):171-5. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19709777
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19709777
  • 26
    Kotsis SV, Chung KC. Application of the “see one, do one, teach one” concept in surgical training. Plast Reconstr Surg [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 131(5):1194-201. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23629100
    » https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23629100
  • 27
    Holland R, Meyers D, Hildebrand C, Bridges A, Roach M, Vogelman B. Creating champions for health care quality and safety. Am J Med Qual [Internet]. 2010 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 5(2):102-8. Available from: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1062860609352108
    » http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1062860609352108
  • 28
    Sittig DF, Classen DC, Singh H. Patient safety goals for the proposed Federal Health Information Technology Safety Center. J Am Med Inform Assoc [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 22(2):472-8. Available from: http://jamia.oxfordjournals.org/content/jaminfo/22/2/472.full.pdf
    » http://jamia.oxfordjournals.org/content/jaminfo/22/2/472.full.pdf
  • 29
    Gorovitz S, MacIntyre A. Toward a theory of medical fallibility. Hastings Cent Rep [Internet]. 1975 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 5(6):13-23. Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2307/3560992/epdf
    » http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2307/3560992/epdf
  • 30
    Sousa AFL, Matos MCB, Matos JGNF, Sousa LRM, Moura MEB, Andrade D. Prevention and control of infection in professional 199 nursing training: a descriptive study. O Braz J Nurs [Internet] 2017 [cited 2017 Mar 17]; 16(2):199-208. Available from: http://www.objnursing.uff.br/index.php/nursing/article/view/5560
    » http://www.objnursing.uff.br/index.php/nursing/article/view/5560

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    May-Jun 2018

History

  • Received
    28 Apr 2017
  • Accepted
    29 May 2017
Associação Brasileira de Enfermagem SGA Norte Quadra 603 Conj. "B" - Av. L2 Norte 70830-102 Brasília, DF, Brasil, Tel.: (55 61) 3226-0653, Fax: (55 61) 3225-4473 - Brasília - DF - Brazil
E-mail: reben@abennacional.org.br