A survey of the patient safety culture of hospital nurses in Turkey

SummaryPurposeThe purpose of the study was to explore and describe nurses’ perceptions of patient safety culture in four Turkish hospitals encompassing a collective total of 1442 beds.BackgroundThe importance of minimizing losses due to medical errors in the high-risk health sector and awareness of the risks to patients and health workers has gained prominence in the world, and the concept of a culture of patient safety has become a topic of discussion.MethodThe safety culture in the hospitals in Turkey was evaluated using the Turkish version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC). A convenience sample of 554 nurses was recruited from the hospitals.ResultsThe highest mean composite score among the 12 dimensions was on teamwork within units, followed by organizational learning/continuous improvement. The lowest mean scores were on non-punitive response to error and frequency of event reporting.ConclusionsMany Turkish nurses have negative perceptions towards patient safety culture within their institution. No participants indicated their affiliated institution had a protocol or policy concerning event reporting. Nurse managers need to create a positive safety culture by open communication, mutual trust, shared perceptions of the importance of safety and confidence in the efficacy of preventative measures.