Ošetřovatelské perspektivy 2025, 8(2):53-64 | DOI: 10.25142/osp.2026.001

MANAGEMENT OF ADVERSE EVENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF NURSES’ PROFESSIONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

Tatiana Katriňáková^1,2, Mária Kilíková¹, Monika Štefanová³

¹ Vysoká škola zdravotníctva a sociálnej práce sv. Alžbety v Bratislave, n. o., Detašované pracovisko bl. Sáry Salkaházi v Rožňave

² Oddelenie všeobecnej a úrazovej chirurgie, Nemocnica s poliklinikou Spišská Nová Ves, a. s.

³ Vysoká škola zdravotníctva a sociálnej práce sv. Alžbety v Bratislave, n. o.

Background: Managing adverse events is an integral part of patient safety culture, which is significantly influenced by nurses’ professional characteristics and the factors of their work environment.

Aim: To analyze the impact of nurses’ professional characteristics and work environment on nurses’ attitudes and experiences related to the management of adverse events in nursing practice.

Methodology: A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted among 200 nurses working in inpatient wards in Veľký Krtíš, Levice, and Žiar nad Hronom. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied, using the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test (p = 0.05).

Results: The analysis confirmed a statistically significant influence of age and length of practice on nurses’ attitudes towards the management of adverse events (p < 0.05). Significant differences were found in the items “Medication error was prevented thanks to a colleague’s warning” (p = 0.014; p = 0.012) and “After an adverse event, I was transferred to another department” (p = 0.017). The most positive attitudes were observed among nurses over 50 years old and with more than 11 years of experience. Education level and type of department were not statistically significant (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: The findings indicate that questionnaire-based attitudes and experiences related to adverse event management are primarily associated with nurses’ age, length of professional experience, and perceived working conditions. Strengthening supervision, continuous education, and open communication enhances nurses’ confidence and contributes to the development of safe and high-quality nursing care.

Keywords: adverse event, patient safety, nurse, nursing practice, quantitative analysis

Received: November 7, 2025; Revised: January 7, 2026; Accepted: January 8, 2026; Published: March 11, 2026  Show citation