title: The organisational silence of midwives and nurses: reasons and results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study was conducted to determine the issues about which nurses and midwives remain silent and the reasons for it and the perceived results of silence.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Organisational silence is a vitally important issue in the health sector, due to the risks and mistakes that are not reported, and proposals for improvement that are not made.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample of this descriptive survey, which investigated a cause and effect relationship, was 159 nurses and midwives. The data were collected using a questionnaire and the organisational silence scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the study participants, 84.9% were nurses and 15.1% were midwives. Of all participants 88.7% were women. 8.8% of participants stated that they never remained silent about issues related to work and the workplace. Respondents most often remained silent about issues related to ethics and responsibility. 'Limited improvement and development' was frequently mentioned as a perceived result of organisational silence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study determined that organisational silence is quite common among nurses and midwives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Activities that raise the awareness of hospital administrations and employees about preventing the factors that cause and maintain silence in hospitals should be planned.
authors.affiliation: Mersin University School of Health Midwifery Department, Ciftlikkoy Kampusu, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yurdakul
authors.affiliation: Mersin University School of Health Midwifery Department, Ciftlikkoy Kampusu, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Meltem Aydin
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Beşen
authors.affiliation: Mersin University Medical Faculty Department of Biostatistics, Ciftlikkoy Kampusu, Mersin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Semra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erdoğan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010379:Peer Group; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses' / Q000592:standards; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards
keywords: Turkey; midwives; nurses; organisational silence