Nurses' Perceptions of Safety Management for Patients With Dementia in Acute Care Hospitals: A Q-Methodological Study.

AIM: To identify the types of nurses' perceptions regarding safety management for patients with dementia in acute care hospitals. DESIGN: A Q-methodological study. METHODS: Data were collected between 31 July and 30 September 2025. A total of 161 statements were generated through individual in-depth interviews with eight registered nurses from general wards at a tertiary acute care hospital in South Korea and through a literature review. Subsequently, 34 statements were selected for Q-sorting and 22 nurses completed the procedure. Data were analysed using PQMethod with principal component analysis and varimax rotation, followed by interpretive analysis. RESULTS: Four types of nurses' perceptions of safety management for patients with dementia were identified: physical control, relational collaboration, sceptical conformity and adaptive flexibility. CONCLUSION: Safety management for patients with dementia in acute care requires a context-dependent, multidimensional approach encompassing physical, emotional, environmental and organisational aspects. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Understanding nurses' distinct perceptual orientations can inform type-specific practice interventions and support efforts towards safer, more person-centred care for patients with dementia in acute care settings. IMPACT: This study offers insights for moving beyond uniform approaches and designing tailored, type-specific safety strategies in acute care by showing that similar safety behaviours may carry different meanings across nurses' perceptual orientations. REPORTING METHOD: This study followed the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research and Q-methodology conventions. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.