Clinical Supervision Training for Head Nurses Improves Staff Nurses’ Perceived Knowledge and Compliance with the Safewards Model

Abstract

Nurses are the healthcare professionals who interact most frequently with patients and play a central role in implementing the Safewards model. Strengthening clinical supervision is therefore essential to optimize Safewards practices and improve patient safety. This study aimed to examine whether clinical supervision training for head nurses leads to improvements in staff nurses’ perceived knowledge and compliance with the Safewards model in two Indonesian hospitals. A quasi-experimental pre–post design with intervention and control groups was conducted from January 10 to February 19, 2026. The intervention consisted of clinical supervision training for 12 head nurses, followed by clinical supervision implementation involving 60 staff nurses. Perceived knowledge and compliance were measured using standardized questionnaires. Most respondents were Diploma III nursing graduates, had more than 15 years of work experience, and were categorized as PK III. The results showed increased knowledge among head nurses after training and significant improvements in staff nurses’ perceived knowledge (p = 0.009) and compliance (p = 0.005) following clinical supervision. Clinical supervision training significantly influenced both outcomes (p = 0.001), contributing 14.4% to perceived knowledge and 23.6% to perceived compliance. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that structured clinical supervision training for head nurses enhances staff nurses’ understanding and adherence to the Safewards model. Hospitals should institutionalize continuous clinical supervision training and integrate training-based learning mechanisms into Safewards implementation SOPs to ensure sustainable improvements in nursing practice and patient safety.

Keywords: safewards model; clinical supervision; perceived knowledge; nurse compliance; head nurse training