Mental health nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture in psychiatric settings

Mental health nurses have a crucial role in preventing medical incidents and in promoting safety culture because they provide and coordinate most of patients' care. Therefore, they are able to enhance patients' outcomes and reduce nurses' injuries.

The aims of this study were to assess the perception of mental health nurses about patients' safety culture and to detect the factors which may affect patients' safety culture at psychiatric hospitals.

A predictive correlational design was employed to collect data about patient safety culture and safety outcomes from 224 mental health nurses working in psychiatric hospitals using Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.

Positive scores to patients' safety culture dimensions ranged between 13.4% and 81.2%. Two-thirds of mental health nurses perceived safety as excellent/very good, 20.5% perceived it as acceptable and 10.8% perceived it as poor/failing. Overall perception of safety correlated significantly with four dimensions and explained 32.6% of the variance. Frequency of events reported correlated significantly with six dimensions and explained 23.1% of the variance.

Of the 12 dimensions of patients' safety culture, only one was strong, six within acceptable range and five were weak and need improvement.

Healthcare managers and policy-makers should encourage educational interventions and help to establish a reporting system that focus on improving systems, not on blaming individuals and encourage open communication among mental healthcare workers.