The relationship between components of the biosafety incident response competence for clinical nursing staff: a network analysis

Biosafety, which pertains to the prevention of exposure to biological hazards that could pose risks to human health, ecosystems, and the environment, has become a global concern. Nowadays, biosafety threats are widespread and long-standing, posing a severe risk to all human lives. A key measure in tackling biosafety issues is to clarify the competence of clinical nursing staff in responding to biosafety incidents. Nevertheless, little network analysis research has been done on the relationships between the components of clinical nurses’ biosafety incident response competence. To better and more accurately help clinical nurses enhance their ability to respond to biosafety incidents, this study examined the network structure of the components that make up biosafety incident response competence. A network analysis. From September to November 2023, we invited 4600 clinical nurses to participate in our study. Eventually, 4338 nurses provided valid responses, with an effective response rate reaching 94.30% (4338/4600). The biosafety incident response competence of nursing staff was assessed using a scale developed by the research team. Network analysis was adopted for statistical analysis. In the current network, “Master the correct collection methods of blood culture samples and nasopharyngeal swabs from patients with biological infection; P5: Understand the vaccination of biosafety protective vaccines”, “Possess the ability to assess the harm of pathogenic microorganisms”, “Master the key points of medical record management and record of patients with biological infection” and “Be familiar with the concept of antimicrobial resistance and the use of antimicrobials” have the highest expected influences. In the community of biosafety infection protection abilities, “Master the correct collection methods of blood culture samples and nasopharyngeal swabs from patients with biological infection” has the highest bridge expected influence. In the community of biosafety event monitoring and warning abilities, “Understand the main points and requirements of detection and screening of pathogenic microorganisms and drug-resistant bacteria” has the highest bridge expected influence. And in the community of biosafety knowledge preparedness, “Possess the ability to properly transport and evacuate bio-infected patients”, and “Be familiar with biosafety incidents involving paramedics that require paramedic involvement” have the highest bridge expected influence. The components of clinical nursing staff’s biosafety incident response competence are interconnected through complex association patterns. From a network analysis perspective, four items exhibit the highest expected influence, signifying their paramount importance within the network. Additionally, another four items possess the highest bridge expected influence, indicating their strongest connections with the other three communities. These findings provide significant implications for clinical practice, as they offer potential targets for interventions aimed at enhancing nursing staff’s ability to handle biosafety events.