Factors associated with nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture in China: a cross-sectional survey study

Objective: To explore nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture and factors associated with those perceptions.

Methods: This study used a quantitative methodology with a cross-sectional design. A convenience sample was used to recruit 248 nurses. Data were collected at a Chinese university hospital between August and October 2008.

Results: More than half (61.3%) of nurses had positive perceptions of patient safety culture. Nurses responded most positively to two dimensions: teamwork within units and organizational learning. Nurses responded most negatively to staffing and non-punitive response to errors. Four factors were found to be associated with patient safety culture: nurses' perception of managers' trustworthiness (P < 0.001), organizational safety prioritization (P < 0.001), length of unit nursing experience (P = 0.004), and managers' safety commitment (P = 0.023).

Conclusions: To improve patient safety culture, nurse managers should focus on the identified factors and adopt multiple strategies. Specifically, nurse mangers should try to build trust with nurses, demonstrate sincere safety commitments, and set patient safety as a true priority.