Patient Safety Assessment in a Maternity Unit: Caring Approach of Nurses

Maternity is a unique and high-risk environment where the safety of both mothers and newborns is paramount. Ensuring a safe and effective delivery of care is a critical responsibility for healthcare professionals in this setting. Despite significant advancements in medical technology and healthcare practices, patient safety remains a major concern globally, and maternity units are not immune to the challenges of the occurrence of adverse events. This study aimed to analyze the determinants of safety in patient care at the maternity unit, the study was a quantitative descriptive study using a clinical method with a sample size of 14 nurses. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the nurses’ practices related to patient safety. The information collected was analyzed using SPSS, MS Excel and MS Word. The results were presented in the form of figures and tables. From this study it resulted that workload pressure (35.71%), competency assessment (42.86%), and communication breakdown (35.71%) were the main intrinsic determinants affecting safety in patient care in their unit, impacting staffing levels towards patient safety was rated at (35.71%), up to date technology (42.91%), physical environment (28.6%) as the main extrinsic determinants affecting patient safety in care. This study provided critical insights into the intrinsic and extrinsic determinants of safety in patient care delivery at the maternity unit. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve nurses’ practices towards patient safety, address workload and staffing concerns, and enhance environmental and system-related factors to promote a culture of safety.