Empowering nursing educators to teach patient safety: Insights from a train the trainer workshop in Brazil.

Abstract

Educational programs that help nursing educators teach patient safety principles, protocols, and strategies effectively are essential. A workshop, funded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), was conducted at a state university in Brazil. It introduced innovative tools and theoretical and practical teaching strategies for nurse educators involved in patient safety education. The activities were developed within several materials about frameworks and concepts for patient safety education and were delivered face-to-face for a total of 7 hours. Topics such as patient safety and its teaching context, patient safety curriculum frameworks, and challenges in patient safety education were delivered. The presenter applied a seminar-style approach, embedding activities such as crosswords and a mini-flipped classroom. For the practical activities, the goal was to employ tools as strategies across 3 stations using technical and non-technical skills that can be adopted in teaching patient safety. The Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation approach was used for communication, the National Early Warning Score for patient assessment, and a board game for safe medication administration practices. Participants appreciated the interactive teaching, alignment of theory with practice, and exposure to new tools. The workshop underscores the significance of diverse teaching strategies in preparing nursing educators to effectively teach patient safety.