Relationship of the Perioperative Nurse Work Environment With a Culture of Safety and High Reliability

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine dimensions of the perioperative work environment and their associations with the operating room (OR) culture of safety and high-reliability characteristics.

Design: A predictive correlational design using a cross-sectional survey was used.

Methods: A convenience sample of perioperative nurses (N = 96) was used to evaluate strength of associations of their work environment with OR safety culture and high-reliability organizational culture. In addition, the best predictive models for OR culture of safety and high-reliability characteristics were used.

Findings: Findings indicated that the five dimensions of the work environment are significant predictors of a safety culture; however, only Collegial Relationships and Nursing Foundations for Quality of Care significantly predict high reliability.

Conclusions: Due to the extraordinary responsibility perioperative nurses hold to maintain safety standards for surgical patients, it is critical to fortify elements of the nurse work environment.