Impact of Teamwork, Patient Safety Culture, and Operating Room Distractions on Patient Safety Management Activities among Perioperative Nurses

Purpose : Teamwork and perceptions of patient safety culture are positive factors in operating room (OR) nurses’ patient safety management activities. Distractions in the OR may negatively impact OR nurses’ patient safety management activities; however, the relationship between these variables has not yet been explored. This study aimed to determine the relationships among teamwork, perception of patient safety culture, distractions in the OR, and patient safety management activities among OR nurses.Methods : A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 149 OR nurses from U Metropolitan City. Structured questionnaires were used to assess teamwork, perceptions of patient safety culture, distractions in the OR, and patient safety management activities. T-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and hierarchical linear regression were used for data analysis.Results : Positive correlations were found among teamwork, perception of the patient safety culture, and patient safety management activities (all p ＜.001). Auditory distractions in the OR were negatively correlated with patient safety management activities (r = -0.21, p = .011). Hierarchical linear regression revealed that teamwork (β = 0.28, p = .007), perception of patient safety culture (β = 0.24, p = .016), and visual (β = -0.22, p = .023) and communication distractions (β = -0.26, p = .002) were associated with patient safety management activities.Conclusion : Strategic interventions are thus needed to strengthen teamwork, foster a positive patient safety culture, and minimize distractions in the OR to enhance patient safety management activities among OR nurses.