Factors Influencing Medication Safety Competence of Nurses According to Clinical Career Stage: A Cross‐Sectional Survey

Medication errors pose a serious threat to patient safety, causing preventable harm and increasing healthcare costs. Nurses' competence in medication safety is critical and develops with clinical experience. This study aimed to identify factors influencing medication safety competence across different clinical career stages, focusing on nursing organizational culture, communication competence, and patient safety culture. A survey was conducted from December 2021 to February 2022 among 757 nurses, categorized as novice, advanced novice, competent, or proficient. Communication competence and patient safety culture consistently emerged as significant predictors of medication safety competence across all career stages. Nursing organizational culture showed differential effects: relationship- and innovation-oriented cultures were significant predictors in the novice group, while a hierarchy-oriented culture was a significant predictor in the competent group. The regression models explained 30.8%-41.4% of the variance. Findings suggest that interventions to enhance medication safety competence should be tailored to nurses' career stages, incorporating relevant cultural and communication factors. Moreover, healthcare organizations should consider nurse-specific organizational culture profiles while designing training programs and selecting preceptors to optimize medication safety outcomes.