Structural empowerment and patient safety culture among registered nurses working in adult critical care units

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between patient safety culture and two attitudinal constructs: affective organizational commitment and structural empowerment. In doing so, the main and interaction effects of the two constructs on the perception of patient safety culture were assessed using a cohort of physicians. Design/methodology/approach Affective commitment was measured with the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, whereas structural empowerment was assessed with the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II. The abbreviated versions of these surveys were administered to a cohort of 71 post-doctoral medical residents. For the data analysis, hierarchical regression analyses were performed for the main and interaction effects of affective commitment and structural empowerment on the perception of patient safety culture. Findings A total of 63 surveys were analyzed. The results revealed that both affective commitment and structural empowerment were positively related to patient safety culture. A potential interaction effect of the two attitudinal constructs on patient safety culture was tested but no such effect was detected. Research limitations/implications This study suggests that there are potential benefits of promoting affective commitment and structural empowerment for patient safety culture in health care organizations. By identifying the positive associations between the two constructs and patient safety culture, this study provides additional empirical support for Kanter’s theoretical tenet that structural and organizational support together helps to shape the perceptions of patient safety culture. Originality/value Despite the wide recognition of employee empowerment and commitment in organizational research, there has still been a paucity of empirical studies specifically assessing their effects on patient safety culture in health care organizations. To the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first empirical study to examine the relationship between structural empowerment as proposed by Kanter and the culture of patient safety using physicians.

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Patient safety culture in acute care: A web-based survey of nurse managers' and registered nurses' views in four Finnish hospitals

International Journal of Nursing Practice ◽

10.1111/ijn.12112 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 609-617 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Hannele Turunen ◽

Pirjo Partanen ◽

Tarja Kvist ◽

Merja Miettinen ◽

Katri Vehviläinen-Julkunen

Keyword(s):

Patient Safety ◽

Registered Nurses ◽

Acute Care ◽

Safety Culture ◽

Nurse Managers ◽

Patient Safety Culture ◽

Web Based

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Fatigue, burnout, work environment, workload and perceived patient safety culture among critical care nurses

British Journal of Nursing ◽

10.12968/bjon.2020.29.1.28 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 28-34 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Qasim AL Ma'mari ◽

Loai Abu Sharour ◽

Omar Al Omari

Keyword(s):

Critical Care ◽

Patient Safety ◽

Work Environment ◽

Emotional Exhaustion ◽

Safety Culture ◽

Patient Safety Culture ◽

Critical Care Nurses ◽

Personal Accomplishment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Predictive Design

A study was conducted to explore whether fatigue, workload, burnout and the work environment can predict the perceptions of patient safety among critical care nurses in Oman. A cross-sectional predictive design was used. A sample of 270 critical care nurses from the two main hospitals in the country's capital participated, with a response rate of 90%. The negative correlation between fatigue and patient safety culture (r= -0.240) indicates that fatigue has a detrimental effect on nurses' perceptions of safety. There was also a significant relationship between work environment, emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, personal accomplishment and organisational patient safety culture. Regression analysis showed that fatigue, work environment, emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment were predictors for overall patient safety among critical care nurses (R2=0.322, F=6.117, P<0.0001). Working to correct these predictors and identifying other factors that affect the patient safety culture are important for improving and upgrading the patient safety culture in Omani hospitals.

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