The Nexus of Nursing and Patient Safety: Keeping Patients Safe

The role of nursing and the nurse is central to the provision of safe quality patient care. Nursing is expected to provide high-quality safe care to each patient every time. Nurses are the reliable safety sentinels that often prevent errors from reaching patients in our healthcare systems. The synergy of nursing and patient safety is contingent on integrating current safety science into nursing science, interprofessional collaboration, connection with the patient, and recognition of the power of nursing. The nexus—the central or most important point of interaction—where patient safety connects or meets nursing is what keeps patients safe. The purpose of this chapter is to describe and explore the connection between nursing practice and patient safety including a discussion of synergistic factors to create safe outcomes.