title: Dynamic workplace interactions for improving patient safety climate.
abstract: Purpose Employee engagement (EE), supervisor support (SS) and interprofessional collaboration (IPC) are important contributors to patient safety climate (PSC). The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a model that suggests the presence of a three-way interaction effect between EE, IPC and SS in creating a stronger PSC. Design/methodology/approach Using validated tools to measure EE, SS, IPC and PSC data were collected from a questionnaire of 250 clinical and support staff in an Australian health service. Using a statistical package (SPSS) an exploratory factor analysis was conducted. Bivariate correlations between the derived variables were calculated and a hierarchical ordinary least squares analysis was used to examine the interaction between the variables. Findings This research finds that PSC emerges from synergies between EE, IPC and SS. Modelling demonstrates that the effect of IPC with PSC is the strongest when staff are highly engaged. While the authors expected SS to be an important predictor of PSC; EE has a stronger relationship to PSC. Practical implications These findings have important implications for the development of patient safety programmes that focus on developing excellent supervisors and enabling IPC. Originality/value The authors provide quantitative evidence relating to three of the often mentioned constructs in the typology of patient safety and how they work together to improve PSC. The authors believe this to be the first empirically based study that confirms the importance of IPC as a lead marker for improved patient safety.
authors.affiliation: Griffith Business School, Griffith University , Gold Coast, Australia.|Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University , Gold Coast, Australia.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2613-4114
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brandis
authors.affiliation: Business School, University of New England , Armidale, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.affiliation: Griffith Business School, Griffith University , Gold Coast, Australia.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schleimer
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D017146:Models, Organizational; D015279:Organizational Culture; D016134:Organizational Policy; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000592:standards; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration
keywords: Employee engagement; Health outcomes; Interprofessional collaboration; Patient safety climate; Supervisor support