title: Nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture in Jordanian hospitals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients' safety culture is a key aspect in determining healthcare organizations' ability to address and reduce risks of patients. Nurses play a major role in patients' safety because they are accountable for direct and continuous patient care. There is little known information about patients' safety culture in Jordanian hospitals, particularly from the perspective of healthcare providers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study aimed to assess patient safety culture in Jordanian hospitals from nurses' perspective.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, descriptive design was utilized. A total number of 658 nurses participated in the current study. Data were collected using an Arabic version of the hospital survey of patients' safety culture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Teamwork within unit dimensions had a high positive response, and was perceived by nurses to be the only strong suit in Jordanian hospitals. Areas that required improvement, as perceived by nurses, are as follows: communication openness, staffing, handoff and transition, non-punitive responses to errors, and teamwork across units. Regression analysis revealed factors, from nurses' perspectives, that influenced patients' safety culture in Jordanian hospital. Factors included age, total years of experience, working in university hospitals, utilizing evidence-based practice and working in hospitals that consider patient safety to be a priority.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Participants in this study were limited to nurses. Therefore, there is a need to assess patient safety culture from other healthcare providers' perspectives. Moreover, the use of a self-reported questionnaire introduced the social desirability biases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study provides insight into how nurses perceive patient safety culture. Results of this study have revealed that there is a need to replace the traditional culture of shame/blame with a non-punitive culture.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Study results implied that improving patient safety culture requires a fundamental transformation of nurses' work environment. New policies to improve collaboration between units of hospitals would improve patients' safety.
authors.affiliation: Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Khater
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Akhu-Zaheya
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Al-Mahasneh
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khater
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology*; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D061214:Patient Safety; D017751:Safety Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Hospital Survey of Patients' Safety Culture; Jordan; Nurses' Perceptions; Patients' Safety Culture