Self-reported skills for ensuring patient safety and quality of care among Italian nursing students: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Nursing students must face quality- and safety-related content early in the classroom and in clinical environments. This study investigated nursing students' self-perceived quality and safety skills in Italy, using the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) framework. The research also identified whether student perception varied in relation to factors associated with the attended bachelor's degree program and individual student variables (e.g. academic year, level of preparedness to perform nontechnical skills). A cross-sectional study was performed using a sample of 454 nursing students. The Quality and Safety Education for Nurse-Student Evaluation Survey (QSE-SES) tool and the instrument Non-Technical Skills-Student Evaluation (NTS-SE) were administered. The results revealed major confidence in patient-centered care skills, whereas nursing students perceived that they were unprepared for putting other QSEN skills into practice. Linear regression analysis revealed that age, the number of internship experiences, and the level of confidence in putting nontechnical skills into practice were positively associated with students' preparedness in performing the QSEN skills. Moreover, our results showed that the QSEN-SES scores varied significantly according to the bachelor's degree program. Faculties and clinical learning environments should work together to provide effective opportunities for nursing students to acquire quality and safety skills, and critical thinking. Adopting a conceptual framework could help nurse educators develop precise teaching strategies and evaluate students' learning outcomes.