Effect of an educational programme on the attitudes towards patient safety of operation room nurses.

Abstract

A culture of patient safety is one of the cornerstones of good-quality healthcare, and its provision is one of the significant challenges in healthcare environments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a surgical safety educational programme on the attitudes of nurses to patient safety in operating rooms (OR). An interventional one-group pre-/post-test design, which sought to measure changes in OR nurses' attitudes toward patient safety culture. A simple random sampling technique was used to recruit 66 OR nurses working at six Royal Medical Service hospitals in Amman, Jordan. All participants took part in a 4-hour educational workshop. Pre-tests and post-tests were done. The results of this study showed that OR nurses' attitudes towards a culture of patient safety was originally negative; significant improvement after attending the programme was found (3.3 ± 0.20 versus 3.8 ± 0.30). There was a negative correlation between years of experience and nurses' attitudes towards patient safety. Incorporating courses about safety culture into continuing education programmes may improve nurses' attitudes towards patient safety. Nurses should be qualified to play an important role in creating a culture of patient safety.