Psychological safety in the perioperative environment: a cost-consequence analysis

Psychologically unsafe healthcare environments can lead to high levels of staff turnover, and unwanted financial burden. In this study, we investigate the hypothesis that lower levels of psychological safety are associated with higher levels of turnover, within an anaesthesiology department and we estimate the cost attributable to low psychological safety, driven by turnover costs.

Psychological safety was measured in one academic department. The psychological safety score was correlated with 'intention to leave' using linear regression and Pearson correlation and a cost-consequence analysis was performed.

One hundred and thirty-eight physician anaesthesiologists (MDs) and 282 certified registered nurse anaesthetists (CRNAs) were surveyed. The response rate was 67.4% (93/138) for MDs and 60.6% (171/282) for CRNAs. There was an inverse relationship between psychological safety and turnover intent for both MDs (Pearson correlation -0.373, p value <0.0002) and CRNAs (Pearson correlation -0.486, p value <0.0002). The OR of intent to turn over in the presence of low psychological safety was 6.86 (95% CI 1.38 to 34.05) for MDs and 8.93 (95% CI 4.27 to 18.68) for CRNAs. The cost-consequence analysis demonstrated the cost of low psychological safety related to turnover per year was $337, 428 for MDs and $14, 024, 279 for CRNAs. Reducing low psychological safety in CRNAs from 31.6% to 20% reduces the potential cost of low psychological to $8 876 126.03.

There is a cost relationship between low psychological safety and turnover. Low psychological safety in an academic anaesthesiology department may result in staff turnover, and potentially high financial costs.