The mediating role of professional identity in the relationship between adverse event risk perception and patient safety competency among nursing postgraduates.

AIM: To investigate the relationship between adverse event risk perception and patient safety competency (PSC) among nursing postgraduates, to identify factors associated with PSC, and to examine the mediating role of professional identity in this relationship.

METHODS

A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 204 nursing postgraduates from five universities in southern Zhejiang, China, between April 2024 and December 2024. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Adverse Event Risk Perception Scale, the Professional Identity Scale, and the Patient Safety Competency Self-Assessment Scale for nurses. Pearson correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, and the Bootstrap method were used to examine the relationships and mediation effects.

RESULTS

The mean scores were as follows: adverse event risk perception (297.63 ± 71.73), professional identity (58.61 ± 10.09), and patient safety competency (114.38 ± 13.78). Adverse event risk perception, professional identity, and patient safety competency were all positively correlated with each other (all P < 0.01). After adjusting for gender, age, duration of clinical internship, grade, research specialization, patient safety training and instructor's emphasis on patient safety, multiple linear regression analysis showed that adverse event risk perception (β = 0.300, P < 0.001) and professional identity (β = 0.106, P = 0.004) were significant positive predictors of patient safety competency, explaining 84.3% of the variance. Mediation analysis indicated that professional identity partially mediated the relationship between adverse event risk perception and patient safety competency, with an indirect effect of 0.032 (95% CI: 0.020-0.044), accounting for 22.38% of the total effect.

CONCLUSION

Professional identity serves as a mediating variable in the relationship between adverse event risk perception and patient safety competency in nursing postgraduates. Nursing educators and administrators may enhance PSC by implementing interventions that strengthen students' risk perception and reinforce their professional identity, ultimately improving patient safety outcomes.