Relationship between Structural Empowerment, Magnet Hospital Characteristics and Patient Safety Climate among Nurses Working in Intensive Care Units

Background: The nursing work environments that empower nurses to practice according to
professional standards are more likely to support a culture of patient safety. When nurses find
that their work environment provides the necessary information, support, opportunity and
resources to accomplish their work, they are more likely to describe their professional practice
environment in magnet hospital terms. Aim of the study: was to investigate the relationship < br />between structural empowerment, magnet hospital characteristics and patient safety climate
among nurses. Subjects & methods: Research design: A descriptive design was used.
Setting: the study was conducted at the medical and surgical intensive care units in Zagazig
University Hospitals. Subjects: includes all nurses working in the above mentioned settings
(n=263). Tools of data collection: Three tools were used in data collection namely; The
Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire; The Lake's Practice Environment Scale of
the Nursing Work Index and The Safety Climate Survey. Results: Reveals that positive
relationships were found not only between structural empowerment and magnet hospital
characteristics but also between these variables and perception of patient safety climate
within the units Conclusion: The results of the study revealed that positive relationships were
found; not only between structural empowerment and magnet hospital characteristics but also
between these variables and perceptions of patients' safety climate among nurses.
Recommendations: Nurses must be professionally empowered through formal
organizational structures in ways that recognize nurses professionally beyond their ability to
simply make clinical decisions, the nurse managers will have to focus less on control and
more on the coordination, integration, and facilitation of nurses' work. This can be
accomplished by providing access to information, resources, and support that are needed to
achieve professional and organizational goals. Patient safety culture must be an integral part
of the orientation and ongoing on job educational activities of staff development.