Impact of Target Management Card on Patient Safety in the Emergency Department: A Mixed Methods Study

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the potential impact of the Target Management Card on patient safety in the emergency department. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A mixed method design was developed, combining a one-group pretest-posttest design with a qualitative study. Target Management Cards were formulated for 32 emergency nurse practitioners and focus group interviews were conducted after the intervention. Wilcoxon’s signed rank test was used to compare pre-test and post-test scores. The interview data were subject to content analysis. RESULTS: After developing the Target Management Card, there were significant improvements in safety behaviors (Z = 4.709, p < 0.01) and perception of patient safety (Z = 4.257, p < 0.01) among emergency nurse practitioners. The nurses in the focus group interviews agreed that the Target Management Card could improve patient safety by warning and supervising nursing work in the emergency department, promoting a positive change in nurses’ attitudes and behaviors toward patient safety. CONCLUSION: Our study found that nurses and nursing managers jointly formulating Target Management Cards in emergency departments significantly enhances patient safety.