title: How hospital leaders contribute to patient safety through the development of trust.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to explore the associations between hospital management support for patient safety, registered nurses' trust in hospital management, and their overall perception of patient safety, considering aspects of safety communication as possible mediating variables.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Limited research exists regarding how key elements of a patient safety culture, that is, leadership, safety communication, and trust, are interrelated.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used cross-sectional nurse survey data from 1,633 registered nurses working in 35 acute care hospitals participating in the Swiss arm of the RN4CAST (Nurse Forecasting in Europe) study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A path analysis revealed that the indirect associations between "management support for patient safety" and "overall perception of patient safety" were more prominent than the direct association.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings confirm that safety communication plays a partially mediating role between "management support for patient safety" and nursing professionals' assessments of patient safety. This suggests that hospital leader-unit exchanges might improve patient safety.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Auer
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwendimann
authors.forename: Roswitha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Geest
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ausserhofer
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006740:Hospital Administrators / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007857:Leadership; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000592:standards*; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods; D013557:Switzerland; D035502:Trust