Challenges faced by nurses in ensuring patient safety in the emergency departments.

Abstract

Nurses employed in emergency departments around the world face various challenges that affect their well-being and hinder their capacity to provide high-quality patient care. Prior studies have examined these challenges, analyzing their origins, effects, and possible remedies. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to explore the main challenges faced by nurses in emergency departments and the solutions proposed to address these problems

This study sought to examine the current literature regarding the challenges encountered by nurses in maintaining patient safety within emergency departments. Data were gathered from three databases: CINAHL, PubMed, and MEDLINE. The search resulted in the identification of 12 articles, which were subsequently analyzed through conventional content analysis. From this analysis, five main categories were identified: Workforce challenges, Communication issues, Operational challenges, Environmental challenges, and Psychological and emotional challenges.

In conclusion, the investigation revealed that various factors contributed to the challenges in patient safety within emergency departments. These factors include staffing issues, excessive workloads, communication breakdowns, inadequate team skills, nursing care errors, lack of workflow standardization, insufficient sup-port for nursing regulations, overcrowding, violence against nurses by patients or their relatives, deficient infrastructure, as well as stress, fatigue, and burnout. To address these issues, it is essential to enhance the education and training of nurses, thereby improving the quality of care and efficiency of services in emergency departments. Also, management should ensure that nurses receive adequate role support.