Influences of the Nursing Informatics Competency and Clinical Decision-Making Ability of Clinical Nurses on Patient Safety Competency

Purpose: This study investigated the influence of nursing informatics competency and clinical decision-making ability on patient safety competency among clinical nurses.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from November to December 2023 with 201 nurses working in general and tertiary hospitals. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression.Results: Patient safety competency was positively correlated with nursing informatics competency (r=.51, <i>p</i><.001) and clinical decision-making ability (r=.52, <i>p</i><.001). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that clinical decision-making ability (β=.38) and nursing informatics competency (β=.38) were the strongest predictors of patient safety competency, with working in special care units (β=.18) also contributing significantly. Together, these variables explained 42.8% of the variance in patient safety competency.Conclusion: This study demonstrated significant associations among clinical decision-making ability, nursing informatics competency, and patient safety competency among clinical nurses. By examining the integrated relationships among these competencies, the findings provide empirical evidence for understanding factors that may influence patient safety outcomes in increasingly digitalized healthcare environments.