Abstract

Background: Patient's safety is the foundation of health qualified to care, which in the inpatient psychiatric wards, is a different but important and challenging issue. Objectives: This study focused on nurses' opinions and experiences about patient safety in inpatient psychiatric wards. Methods: This was a qualitative study based on conventional content analysis and inductive method. Thus, 19 psychiatric nurses were selected from three hospitals using purposive sampling. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Results: Analysis of the data revealed the main theme "intelligent care and protection from risk creators" and two themes including 'vigilant care' and 'close observing' with eight related categories. Conclusions: This study adds a unique insight into patient safety in acute psychiatric wards. The findings suggest that the nurse should take vigilant care and be sensitive to any change in behavior and suspicious behaviors of patients. Continuous observation and objective observation, specific and appropriate intervention, and curious attention are essential. Safety access should be closely monitored.