Patient Safety Culture in Nephrology Nurse Practice Settings: Initial Findings

Patient safety culture has been studied in many practice settings, but there is a dearth of information on the culture of safety in nephrology nurse practice settings. This research study employed the use of an online survey to assess patient safety cultures in nephrology nurse practice settings. The survey was created using items from two Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) survey assessment tools--the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and the Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Select items from these tools were combined to address the safety of care delivered in hospital and outpatient nephrology nurse practice settings. Almost 1,000 nephrology nurses responded to the survey. Analysis of results and comparison with AHRQ comparative data found high ratings for teamwork, but indicted a continued needfor additional education and attention related to hand hygiene, medication administration safety, communication, and prioritization in nephrology practice settings. Nurses in all nephrology nurse practice settings need to routinely assess and positively contribute to the culture of patient safety in their practice settings, and lead and engage in efforts to ensure that patients are safe.