Authors

  1. Bacon, Cynthia Thornton PhD, RN, CNE
  2. McCoy, Thomas P. PhD, PStat
  3. Henshaw, Daryl S. MD

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between organizational safety climate (OSC), in-hospital mortality (IM), and failure to rescue (FTR) in 2 hospitals, 1 with and 1 without crew-resource-management training.

 

BACKGROUND: OSC is 1 of the most important organizational factors that promotes safety at work; however, there is a lack of research examining the relationship between OSC and patient deaths in hospitals.

 

METHODS: We utilized a matched 2-group comparison of surgical patients and surveyed surgical staff to assess the relationship between OSC, FTR, and IM.

 

RESULTS: The OSC assessment was completed by 261 surgical team members. A total of 1764 patients had at least 1 FTR complication; however, there was no association between OSC with FTR or IM for either hospital.

 

CONCLUSIONS: Nurse leaders should remain vigilant in building work teams with strong hospital safety climates. More research is needed to explore the relationship between OSC and patient outcomes.