Hospital safety climate linked to both patient and nurse injuries: study

November 7, 2011 in Health

A safe working environment for nurses is also a safe environment for the patients in their care, according to a new study led by public health researchers at Drexel University. Researchers, led by Dr. Jennifer Taylor, an assistant professor in Drexel's School of Public Health, found that safety climate was associated with both patient and nurse injuries, suggesting that patient and nurse safety may be linked outcomes. The study was published online in BMJ Quality and Safety in October.

For each 10-point increase in the average climate score, the odds of decubitus ulcer declined by 44-48 percent and the odds of nurse injury declined by 40-45percent.

Patient and nurse injuries are both cause for increasing concern in the health care industry, not only due to the pain and suffering experienced by those directly affected, but also because both types of injuries contribute to the rising cost of health care due to the need for extended hospital stays for and hiring temporary staff to replace injured nurses. However, most research considers either or occupational safety in isolation.

"Our findings suggest that patient safety and occupational safety for nurses may be related by common causes, and should be considered together in future studies," said Taylor.

The study included data from a large urban hospital, including 28,876 patient discharges on 29 nursing units employing 723 registered nurses. For each nursing unit, researchers collected nurses' responses to a survey of safety attitudes (a measure of safety climate) as well as hospital-reported nurse and patient injury data collected the following year. Patient injury data included commonly-preventable hospital injuries: falls, pulmonary embolism/ (PE/DVT) and decubitus ulcers (commonly referred to as or bedsores). Nurse injury data included needle-sticks, splashes, slips, trips and falls.

The findings also indicate that increased turnover of nurses should be considered a risk factor for nurse and patient injuries: With each 10 percent increase in a unit's nurse turnover rate, researchers observed a 68 percent increase in the odds of nurse injury, as well as increased patient risk for PE/DVT.

The researchers note that a study of this type could not identify the specific causes of the associations found between factors of safety climate and nurse turnover, and reported injuries. Future studies should track injuries and safety factors over time and in different types of hospital environments.

"This is one of few studies that have identified predictors of both and patient in the hospital setting," said Taylor. "We need to look deeper into hospital organizations to understand the cause and effect relationship."

More information: Taylor JA, Dominici F, Agnew J, et al. BMJ Qual Saf (2011). doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2011-000082

Provided by Drexel University

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Survey reveals the success of personal budgets in social care

Over 70 per cent of people who hold a personal budget for social care said it led to greater independence and support according to the latest survey.

Health created 3 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Scientists develop smartphone 'assistance agent' for older people

A new smartphone application, developed by scientists at the University of Ulster, which could help older people engage fully in an increasingly self-serve society, may be ready for use by the end of the ...

Health created 33 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Can you put a price on health?

As health services strive to improve quality and reduce costs, researchers study the benefits – and the pitfalls – of 'pay for performance' in hospitals.

Health created 43 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Air travel during pregnancy poses no significant risk, say experts

(Medical Xpress)—There is no significant risk directly associated with air travel during pregnancy, even at advanced gestation, says report by the University of Liverpool.

Health created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

50 percent of Australians who oppose vaccination get their information from the Internet

To coincide with the broadcast of Jabbed: Love, Fear and Vaccines (SBS ONE, Sunday 26 May at 8.30pm) the first ever national survey on Australian attitudes to vaccination reveals surprising statistics including half of Australians ...

Health created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Cold plasma successful against brain cancer cells

For the first time, physicists from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), biologists and physicians demonstrated the synergistic effect of cold atmospheric plasma - a partly ionized ...

Study reveals active site of enzyme linked to stuttering

(Medical Xpress)—Scientists from the Joint Center for Structural Genomics (JCSG) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have determined the 3-D structure of the chemically active part of an enzyme involved ...

Researchers develop sperm-sorting design that may aid couples undergoing in vitro fertilization

(Medical Xpress)—According to the World Health Organization, approximately 70 million couples experience infertility worldwide. Current data suggests that nearly one third of infertility disorders are due ...

Key find for early bladder cancer treatment

Aggressive forms of bladder cancer involve the protein PODXL – a discovery that could hold the key to improved treatment, according to researchers at Lund University, Uppsala University and KTH in Sweden.

Common brain processes of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness identified

A study from the June issue of Anesthesiology found feedback from the front region of the brain is a crucial building block for consciousness and that its disruption is associated with unconsciousness when the anesthetics ketami ...

Parents can help preteens with abduction concerns

Parents naturally are concerned for their children's safety, particularly when there is news of a child abduction that happens close to home. Finding the balance between emotions and the "teachable moment" as parents talk ...