Identificación de las medidas de seguridad aplicadas por enfermería en un hospital de segundo nivel Identification of security measures implemented by nursing in a secondary level hospital

Introduction. Patient safety is considered a global public health problem, potentially serious and preventable with great economic and social impact. The lack of security for the patient causes irreversible damage such as death, and also has serious economic consequences. Some countries lose between 6,000 million and 29,000 million dollars per year as a result of prolonged hospitalization, lawsuits, medical expenses, and loss of credibility in the health institutions. The purpose of this descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study was to determine whether the nursing staff identifies and implements security measures to provide care to patients in a second level hospital in the State of Mexico. Material and Methods. During October to December, 2012 an instrument was applied in a second level hospital. Which consists of two sections, the first identifies the knowledge of the 6 International Goals for Patient Safety and the second part shows if the nursing staff applied these goals. Results. 56 nurses were interviewed and observed: 22 (39.3%) with degree, 25 (44.6%) with technical degree, 5 (8.9%) with post-technical studies and 4 (7.1%) with specialization; age interval 30-40 years; less than 4 years of seniority. Knowledge / compliance of International Goals: Goal 1: Identification of the patient 55% / 95%; Goal 2: Improve effective communication between health professionals 53% / 95%; Goal 3: Improve the safety of high-risk medications 50% / 100%, Goal 4: Guarantee surgery in the correct site, with the correct procedure and the correct patient 57% / 43%; Goal 5: Reduce the risk of infections associated with medical care (hand washing) 57% / 50%; Goal 6: Reduce the risk of falling, is the goal that more nurses identified 75% / 57%. Conclusions. The above results reflect the need for nursing staff of health institutions to adhere to the guidelines and strategies that are established to promote safety and quality care without leaving aside the impact and importance of preventing adverse events