Safety Challenges in Psychiatric Departments from Nurses’ Perspective: A Qualitative Study

Background: Despite international concerns and efforts to provide safe care, there are still many obstacles ahead and nurses are facing many challenges concerning patient safety in psychiatric departments. To this end, the present study sought to describe safety challenges in psychiatric departments from the nurses’ perspective. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using the conventional content analysis approach. Data were collected through 12 semi-structured interviews and observations. The participants were selected using purposive sampling from nurses working at a psychiatric hospital in southeastern Iran in 2021 and the sampling process continued until data saturation. Data analysis was performed using Graneheim and Lundman’s content analysis approach. Results: The data analysis revealed four main themes: "an exhaustive environment", "inadequate facilities", "ineffective communication", and "non-safety oriented organizational climate". Conclusion: Efforts have been made in Iran to review and improve patient safety programs in the form of annual clinical governance and accreditation. However, despite the implemented programs, there are still fundamental challenges in providing safe care.