Hospital Nurses' Perceived Patient Safety Culture and Adverse Nurse Outcomes in Korea

Abstract

Background: Hospital nurses are likely to be the first to observe patient safety issues in clinical settings, and thus it is important to include their views on patient safety culture. However, there are few studies addressing the influence of nurses' perceived patient safety culture on adverse nurse outcomes as quality of care.

Purpose: This study was to identify the relationship between nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture and adverse nurse outcomes in Korea.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was included 299 nurses at two tertiary hospitals. Hierarchical linear regression was conducted to examine the impact of patient safety culture on adverse nurse outcomes among hospital nurses.

Results: The mean score of patient safety culture and adverse nurse outcomes were 3.50 out of 5 points and 3.07 out of 4 points respectively. In hierarchical linear regression, hospital work environment, the attitude of supervisor/manager, and hospital climate/culture of patient safety culture predicted adverse nurse outcomes after adjusting for general characteristics.

Conclusions: It is crucial for healthcare facilities to assess or evaluate their current patient safety culture perceptions on a regular basis. Furthermore, provision workshops and staff training on changing behaviors and perceptions regarding patient safety activities can improve nursing performance in clinical settings.

Keywords: adverse outcomes; hospitals; nurses; patient safety culture.