Patient-Nurse Partnerships to Prevent Medication Errors: A Concept Development Using the Hybrid Method

Abstract

Medication safety is the most patient-centered aspect of nursing, and the medication process needs patients’ active participation to effectively prevent medication errors. The aim of this study was to develop the concept of a patient–nurse partnership for medication safety activities. The study design used the three-phase hybrid model for concept analysis: the theoretical phase, fieldwork phase, and final phase for integration. The results of a study define the concept of patient–nurse partnership for medication safety as “a fair cooperative relationship of mutual responsibility in which patients and nurses share information and communicate with each other through mutual trust.” Seven attributes were derived: mutual trust, mutual respect, mutual sharing, mutual communication, mutual responsibility, fair relationship, and mutual cooperation. The conclusion of the study of patient–nurse partnerships for medication safety was that it is necessary to ensure a balance in power between patient and nurse. This balance can be established through patient-centered nursing by implementing the active transfer of authority from nurses as professionals to patients.