Spillover effects of organizational support for patient and workplace safety on safety outcomes: The mediating role of safety compliance

Abstract

Aim(s): To investigate spillover effects of organizational support for patient and workplace safety on safety outcomes and to examine the mediating role of safety compliance in these relationships.

Design: A cross-sectional, correlational survey design.

Methods: This study analysed data from 1255 nurses in 34 Korean hospitals. A structured questionnaire was used including items from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and Safety Compliance scales. Data were collected between February and June 2022. We employed structural equation modelling (SEM) for analysis with a significance level set at 0.05.

Results: Organizational support for patient and workplace safety showed direct impacts on patient and workplace safety outcomes. Findings supported our hypotheses regarding spillover effects, as organizational support for patient safety was related to enhanced workplace safety and organizational support for workplace safety was associated with improved patient safety. SEM analysis showed safety compliance's mediating role. When the distribution of serial indirect effects was examined, three out of eight indirect pathways were statistically significant.

Conclusion: Improving organizational support for patient safety can lead to better workplace safety outcome, and enhancing support for workplace safety can result in better patient safety outcome. Given this mutually beneficial relationship, healthcare organizations should simultaneously promote safety in both areas rather than focusing on just one.

Implications for the profession and/or patient care: Study results highlight the need to recognize the interconnected nature of patient and workplace safety in order to achieve better overall safety outcomes.

Impact: This study shows that organizational safety efforts for patients and workers are interconnected and mutually beneficial. The study's results have both theoretical and practical implications in demonstrating that organizational support for both patient and workplace safety plays a strong role in promoting nurses' safety compliance and improving overall safety outcomes.

Reporting method: STROBE checklist.

Patient contribution: No patient or public contribution.