Practice environment and patient safety in the operating room: Predictive dimensions

Abstract

Objectives: to identify the practice environment perceived by perioperative nurses and determine the dimensions of the practice environment that predict patient safety. Method: descriptive and explanatory study, in a sample of 1,001 nurses from 24 Portuguese hospitals (January to October 2018), using the Patient Safety in the Operating Room questionnaire and the Portuguese version of the Practice Environment Scale-Work Nursing Index. Use of descriptive analysis, Cronbach’s alpha and stepwise method in the analysis of the linear regression model. Results: the global average (M=2.49) of the practice environment indicates its classification as unfavorable. Regression models reveal that all dimensions of the environment are predictors of patient safety in the operating room, highlighting the dimension “Nursing fundamentals for quality of care”. Conclusion: this study highlighted the influence of the practice environment on patient safety in the perioperative context and the need to introduce improvements.