The relationship between patient safety culture and the implementation of organizational patient safety defences at emergency departments.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to investigate the association between 11 patient safety culture dimensions and the implementation of 7 organizational patient safety defences.


METHODS
Data were gathered within a cross-sectional, retrospective survey.


METHODS
Emergency departments (EDs) in the Netherlands.


METHODS
Thirty-three EDs of non-academic hospitals, which belong to the clientele of Dutch largest medical liability insurer.


METHODS
Implementation of the separate organizational patient safety defences (0 = insufficient/sufficient, 1 = good).


RESULTS
Analyses showed that several culture dimensions were negatively or positively associated with the implementation of the patient safety defences. A culture in which hospital handoffs and transitions were perceived adequate was related to less frequent implementation of four of seven organizational patient safety defences, whereas a culture with well-perceived hospital management support for patient safety predicted more frequent implementation of four of seven organizational patient safety defences.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that well-perceived culture dimensions might inhibit improvements by lack of a sense of urgency as well as facilitate improvements by inducing feelings of support for organizational changes and improvements. The influence of patient safety culture appeared to be not always as straightforward as it seems to be in advance.
van Noord
Inge
I
Department of Public and Occupational Health, VUmc-EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Van der Boechorststraat 7, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. i.vannoord@vumc.nl
de Bruijne
Martine C
MC
Twisk
Jos W R
JW
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D015279:Organizational Culture; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017751:Safety Management / Q000458:organization & administration*