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Patient safety is one of the most critical aspects in nursing, with many factors playing a role in preventing harm and reducing risks. Those factors are the topic of this year’s South ��ֱ���� State University College of Nursing Dean’s Distinguished Lecture.

Patricia Groves, an associate professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Iowa, will present her lecture “Hospital Safety Communication: Working Together to Create Patient Safety and Sense of Security” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, in the University Student Union’s Volstorff Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public.

As a safety scholar, Groves has focused her career on the intersections of safety culture, bedside nursing practice, patient safety engagement and patient safety outcomes.

“We are excited to host Dr. Groves for this event,” Mary Anne Krogh, dean of the College of Nursing, said. “Patient safety is critical to meeting health care needs within our complex systems, and Dr. Groves’ expertise is changing the face of safety culture through her work.”

This lecture will provide insights into the importance of patient safety and is geared toward nursing students, practicing nurses and the public. Groves combines her experience and research with other nursing literature to provide insights into patient safety.

“I’m excited to share with the audience how trust, nursing action and patients’ sense of security are related, including actions nurses can take to increase patients’ sense of security while in the hospital,” Groves said. 

Her experience as a clinical nurse led to questions on the differences in health care provided from unit to unit and hospital to hospital. Her sparked interest in leadership and patient safety took her back to school to earn her Ph.D. and conduct research on the topic.

She completed the Veterans Affairs Quality Scholars program as a post-doctorate fellow. 

“My passion is illuminating the critical role nurses play in keeping patients safe and how, in particular, nurses, patients and family co-create patient safety in hospitals,” Groves said. 

Groves’ research has been funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the American Nurses Foundation. 

The Dean’s Distinguished Lecture is made possible through gifts from Helen Grace, former vice president of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. 

For more information on the event, contact College of Nursing dean’s office at 605-688-5178 or via email.