A safety culture training program enhanced the perceptions of patient safety culture of nurse managers

Positive perceptions of patient safety culture are associated with lower rates of adverse events, but they have not been widely established in many health care organizations. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of a safety culture training program (SCTP) on enhancing the perceptions of patient safety in nurse managers. This was a quasi-experimental design. 83 nurse managers were recruited from five randomly selected 2nd level hospitals. Sixty-seven nurse managers received training under the educational SCTP. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) and Chinese Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (C-SAQ) were administered just before and six months after the educational program. The data of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, patient falls, and unplanned extubations were collected. The total positive scores of HSPSC were significantly improved and four dimensions of C-SAQ significantly increased six months after SCTP. The rate of patient falls and rate of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers decreased significantly six months post SCTP. In conclusion, nurse manager participation in a SCTP can enhance the perceptions of patient safety and reduce the rates of adverse events. More rigorous trials with larger numbers of participants and a control group are needed to strengthen the conclusions.