ABSTRACT
Background ............................................................................................................264 Patient Safety Climate ............................................................................................265 Measuring Safety Climate in a Medical Setting ....................................................268 The Components of a Nurse’s Role ....................................................................... 270 Research Methods .................................................................................................. 271
Measuring Patient Safety Climate ..................................................................... 271 Measuring the Level of Safety in the Departments ........................................... 272
Results .................................................................................................................... 273 Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 274 Appendix A: Patient Safety Climate Scale ............................................................ 279
Hospital Climate................................................................................................ 279 Unit Climate ......................................................................................................280
References .............................................................................................................. 281
Over the last decade, the subject of patient safety has become a growing concern worldwide. According to a report of the American Institute of Medicine, treatment errors are the eighth leading cause of death in the United States.1 In a recent national survey in the United States, 35% of the physicians and 42% of patients or their families reported that they witnessed a treatment error done to them or a family member.2
