Revealing operating room nurses' attitudes and behaviors, whose awareness is increased with the standardized patient method, towards patient safety by reflection session

The study was conducted to explore the attitudes and behaviors of operating room nurses regarding patient safety through the experiences they shared during the reflection session, following the enhancement of their awareness using a standardized patient method. Designed as a qualitative study, it adopted a phenomenological approach. Ten nurses working in the operating room of Karadeniz Technical University Farabi Hospital were included through purposive sampling. The data were collected using a descriptive characteristics form, a standardized patient scenario, a performance evaluation form, debriefing sessions, and reflection interviews. The qualitative data obtained were analyzed using content analysis. The findings revealed that operating room nurses demonstrated both strengths and weaknesses in patient safety practices and exhibited varying levels of awareness regarding critical safety domains such as patient falls, retained foreign objects, wrong patient/wrong-site surgery, and surgical site infections. As a result of the debriefing session, perspectives on patient safety were structured around themes of professional awareness, team dynamics, individual attitudes, responsibility sharing, and perceived pressure. During the reflection session, it was identified that participants developed a high level of awareness in critical safety areas, including patient identity verification, adherence to sterility, sponge and instrument counting, prevention of wrong patient/wrong-site surgery, communication, and teamwork. In conclusion, simulation-based standardized patient practices and reflection sessions were found to be effective methods for enhancing operating room nurses' patient safety awareness and contributing to the development of a safe surgical culture. Accordingly, the widespread use of structured simulation- and reflection-based methods is recommended in patient safety education.