How patient safety culture influences nurses' responsibility: a structural equation modeling study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Medical Ethics

Background:

• Patient safety culture is crucial for nurses' professional responsibility and high-quality care delivery.
• Understanding demographic variations in this relationship aids healthcare system improvement strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the influence of patient safety culture on nurses' professional responsibility.
• To investigate the moderating effects of demographic characteristics on this relationship.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study involving 301 nurses in Sirjan, Iran.
• Data collected via demographic questionnaire, Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC), and Hassaniyan's Responsibility Questionnaire.
• Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) used for analysis.

Main Results:

• An acceptable patient safety culture (mean score 2.93/5, 63.5% positive) and good nurses' responsibility (mean score 108.3/175) were observed.
• A significant positive correlation (r=0.61) and effect (β=0.59) were found between patient safety culture and nurses' responsibility.
• Age and work experience significantly moderated the relationship, with stronger effects in older, more experienced nurses.

Conclusions:

• Patient safety culture is positively associated with nurses' responsibility in healthcare settings.
• Enhancing hospital management support, non-punitive error response, and safety perceptions can increase nurses' responsibility.
• Tailored interventions considering nurses' age and experience can improve responsible behavior and care quality.