The effect of the emergency service work environment on the patient safety attitudes of nurses

Background A safe working environment in the health sector contributes significantly to employee and patient safety and supports positive patient outcomes. Nurses play an important role in improving the healthcare quality related to patient safety practices. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the emergency service work environment on nurses’ patient safety attitudes. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in the emergency departments of 15 tertiary public hospitals and university hospitals in Izmir, Turkey. 288 nurses who worked 6 months or more in emergency departments were included in the sample. The personal information form, safety attitudes questionnaire, and work environment scale were used in the data collection. Results The total mean score for the safety attitudes questionnaire was 136.69 ± 22.14, and the total mean score for Work Environment Scale was 84.51 ± 12.02. A positive correlation was detected between the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire total score and Work Environment Scale total score (r = 0.38, p < 0.001). Conclusion The patient safety attitudes of the emergency room nurses were moderately positive, the nurses evaluated the working environment positively, and positive work environments affected patient safety attitudes positively.