Patient Safety Perceptions of Operating Room Nurses and Surgical Intensive Care Nurses: A Multicenter Study

Abstract

Background: Perception of patient safety is a crucial component of quality improvement. Nurses play a critical role in ensuring patient safety. This study aims to determine the patient safety perceptions of nurses working in operating rooms and surgical intensive care units. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 377 nurses working in the intensive care and operating room units of five hospitals in Izmir. Data were collected between February 8 and July 25, 2023, using the "Socio-demographic and Occupational Characteristics Form" and the "Leiden Operating Room and Intensive Care Safety Scale- LOTICS". The scale consists of five sub-dimensions: Teamwork and Awareness, Resource Management and Planning, Employee Resources and Audit, Teamwork Instructions and Preparations, and Training and Access to Information. A higher score on the scale indicates a more positive perception of working conditions. The data were analyzed using independent groups t-test, Mann-Whitney U, One Way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis test, and multiple linear regression. Results: The total patient safety perception score for intensive care nurses (ICN) was significantly higher (106.03 +15.93; min-max: 67-151) than that of operating room nurses (ORN) (101.81+14.24; min-max: 43-132). ICN perceived the sub-dimensions of "Resource Management and Planning", "Teamwork and Awareness", and "Teamwork Instructions and Preparations" more positively than ORN. Additionally, being married, being ICN, and having received training in team collaboration predicted nurses' perceptions of patient safety. Conclusion: Intensive care nurses exhibited higher patient safety perception scores than operating room nurses. Married nurses reported higher perception scores than single nurses, and those who received training on team collaboration had better perceptions than those who did not. Therefore, their perceptions of working conditions were more positive. Providing patient safety training to nurses in operating rooms and surgical intensive care units, where systemic risk factors can be high, is essential for enhancing perceptions in this area.