Loading...
The association between the nationality of nurses and safety culture in maternity care units of Oman
Al Nadabi, Waleed Muhammed, Muhammed A.
Al Nadabi, Waleed
Muhammed, Muhammed A.
Publication Date
2020
End of Embargo
Supervisor
Rights
© 2020 World Health Organization (WHO). This is an Open Access article distributed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)
Peer-Reviewed
Yes
Open Access status
openAccess
Accepted for publication
2018-11-28
Institution
Department
Awarded
Embargo end date
Collections
Additional title
Abstract
Patient safety culture/climate in maternity units has been linked to better safety outcomes. Nurses have a
crucial role in patient safety and represent the majority of staff in maternity units. In many countries, nurses are recruited
from abroad, bringing their own perceptions of patient safety culture. Nonetheless, little is known about the relationship
between perceptions of patient safety culture and nurses’ nationality. Understanding this relationship will assist stakeholders in designing a responsive programme to improve patient safety culture.
Aims: To investigate the association between nurses’ nationality and their perceptions about patient safety culture in
maternity units in Ministry of Health hospitals in Oman.
Methods: In 2017, the Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) was distributed to all staff (892 distributed, 735 returned) in 10
maternity units.
Results: About three-quarters (74%, 541/735) of the returned SAQs were completed by nurses, of whom 34% were non-Omani, 21.8% were Omani and 44.7% did not report their nationality (missing). Overall, the mean safety score for non-Omani
nurses was significantly higher than for the Omani nurses: 3.9 (SD 1.3) vs 3.6 (SD 1.2) (P < 0.001). The mean safety score for
stress recognition was significantly lower for non-Omani nurses: 2.8 (SD 1.5) vs 3.2 (SD 1.3) (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: Non-Omani nurses have a more positive perception of patient safety culture than Omani nurses except in
respect of stress recognition. Decision-makers, directors, and clinicians should consider these differences when designing
interventions to improve patient safety culture.
Version
Published version
Citation
Al Nadabi W, Faisal M and Muhammed MA (2020) The association between the nationality of nurses and safety culture in maternity care units of Oman. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 26(5): 517-524.
Link to publisher’s version
Link to published version
Link to Version of Record
Type
Article