A structural equation model of nurses' patient safety management activities

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to build and test a model outlining the factors related to nurses' patient safety management activities. The exogenous variables were personal factor, job factor and organizational support. The endogenous factors were safety-related recognition, patient safety culture and patient safety management activities. Methods: A survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted among 500 nurses in Korea. The collected data were analyzed using PASW Statistics 18.0 and AMOS 20.0 programs. Results: Personal factors, job factors, safety-related recognition, and patient safety culture significantly affected nurses' patient safety management activities. Conclusion: These results suggest that patient safety accidents can be prevented by increasing the safety culture and safety related recognition. To improve the safety culture and safety related recognition, measures should be taken to reduce the turnover rate of career nurses and provide sufficient manpower allocation, education and policies.