Cent Eur J Nurs Midw. X:X

Crisis resource management competencies in Portuguese nurses

Tânia Filipa Soares Ferreira1, Pedro Filipe Azevedo Moutinho2, Liliana Andreia Neves da Mota3, Ana Catarina Pereira Pinto3,4,5
1 Immediate Life Support Unit, Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica, Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal
2 Independent Researcher, Porto, Portugal
3 Nursing Department, Escola Superior de Saúde Norte da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa, Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal
4 Comprehensive Health Research Centre, Évora, Portugal
5 Intensive Care Unit, Unidade de Saúde Local da Região de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

Aim:  To assess Portuguese nurses’ crisis resource management competencies in simulated emergency scenarios. Design: Quantitative, descriptive-correlational, and cross-sectional study.

Methods: Data were collected between January and June 2024 using a paper-based questionnaire that included items on socio-professional characteristics and a translated version of the Ottawa Global Rating Scale for Crisis Resource Management. The unidimensional scale demonstrated high internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.92. Participants were recruited through non-probability convenience sampling. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 28.

Results:  A total of 69 valid assessments were obtained using the Portuguese version of the Ottawa Global Rating Scale. Overall, 71.0% of participants demonstrated standard-level performance, while 27.5% achieved superior performance. The dimension in which exceptional competence was least frequently observed was Leadership (21.7%), whereas the highest proportion of exceptional competence was found in Resource Utilization (34.8%).

Conclusion:  This study enabled the assessment of nurses’ crisis resource management competencies within simulated emergency scenarios. Given the critical role of non-technical skills in ensuring patient safety, there is an urgent need to develop strategies that strengthen nurses’ leadership capabilities.

Keywords: crew resource management, healthcare, nursing, patient safety

Received: June 3, 2025; Revised: November 18, 2025; Accepted: January 14, 2026; Prepublished online: January 16, 2026 

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