Nurse’s Role in Quality and Patient Safety

Abstract

This study is justified by the relevance of nurses’ performance in promoting quality of care and patient safety, especially in view of the occurrence of incidents and adverse events in health services. The objective was to analyze the role of nurses in quality of care and patient safety, highlighting their contributions to risk prevention, protocol implementation, and the strengthening of a safety culture. This is an integrative literature review, developed through the analysis of scientific articles selected from health databases, focusing on studies that addressed nursing practice in the hospital context. The results showed that nurses play a central role in care organization, team supervision, effective communication, continuing education, early identification of risks, and implementation of safe practices. Factors that hinder safe care were also identified, such as work overload, overcrowding, communication failures, and insufficient institutional resources. It is concluded that nurses’ performance is essential for reducing adverse events, improving quality of care, and consolidating a patient-centered safety culture. Therefore, this study provides support for managers and health professionals to improve processes, protocols, and decision-making related to safe care in hospital services