Patient Safety Attitude of Nurses Working in Surgical Units: A Cross-Sectional Study in Turkey
Seher Ünver, Seda Cansu Yeniğün
Abstract
PURPOSE: To determine the attitudes of nurses working in surgical units toward patient safety. DESIGN: A descriptive and cross-sectional study. METHODS: The sample in this study was 207 nurses (92% of all the nurses) working in surgical units in a training and research hospital in Turkey, all of whom agreed to participate in this study between April 30 and June 25, 2019. Study data were collected using a demographic characteristics form and the Patient Safety Attitude Questionnaire. Number, mean, SD, percentage calculations, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test, and the Spearman correlation test were used to analyze the study data. FINDINGS: The mean total attitude score of the nurses was 176.30 ± 26.92. Nurses who previously received training on patient safety had statistically higher attitude scores than those who did not (U = 3883.000; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Nurses working in surgical units had a positive attitude toward patient safety, and previous training on patient safety significantly improved their attitude scores. A recommendation is to conduct effective in-service training programs for patient safety in hospitals and to encourage participation by nurses in training programs such as courses and conferences that will result in attitude improvement.