CONCEPT ANALYSIS Defining attributes of patient safety through a concept analysis Linda Kim, Courtney H. Lyder, Donna McNeese-Smith, Linda Searle Leach & Jack Needleman Accepted for publication 1 June 2015 Correspondence to L. Kim: e-mail: linyskim@ucla.edu Linda Kim RN Doctoral Student School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA Courtney H. Lyder ND ScD(Hon) FAAN Dean and Professor School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA Donna McNeese-Smith MN EdD RN Professor Emeritus School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA Linda Searle Leach PhD RN Assistant Professor School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA Jack Needleman PhD FAAN Professor Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA KIM L., LYDER C.H., MCNEESE-SMITH D., LEACH L.S. & NEEDLEMAN J. (2015) Defining attributes of patient safety through a concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing 71(11), 2490–2503. doi: 10.1111/jan.12715 Abstract Aim. The aim of this study was to report an analysis of the concept of patient safety. Background. Despite recent increase in the number of work being done to clarify the concept and standardize measurement of patient safety, there are still huge variations in how the term is conceptualized and how to measure patient safety data across various healthcare settings and in research. Design. Concept analysis. Data sources. A literature search was conducted through PubMed and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Plus using the terms ‘patient safety’ in the title and ‘concept analysis,’ ‘attributes’ or ‘definition’ in the title and or abstract. All English language literature published between 2002– 2014 were considered for the review. Methods. Walker and Avant’s method guided this analysis. Results. The defining attributes of patient safety include prevention of medical errors and avoidable adverse events, protection of patients from harm or injury and collaborative efforts by individual healthcare providers and a strong, well- integrated healthcare system. The application of Collaborative Alliance of Nursing Outcomes indicators as empirical referents would facilitate the measurement of patient safety. Conclusion. With the knowledge gained from this analysis, nurses may improve patient surveillance efforts that identify potential hazards before they become adverse events and have a stronger voice in health policy decision-making that influence implementation efforts aimed at promoting patient safety, worldwide. Further studies are needed on development of a conceptual model and framework that can aid with collection and measurement of standardized patient safety data. Keywords: concept analysis, nurse, nursing, patient safety 2490 © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd