OBJECTIVE: Nurse (RN) and nursing assistant (NA) relational quality was examined along with associations between relational quality and evaluations of teamwork and communication. BACKGROUND: RN and NA teams constitute the primary nursing care delivery method, and the quality of their relationship affects system capacity for improving patient outcomes; adverse events are linked to communication and teamwork breakdowns. METHODS: RN (N = 889) and NA (263) relational quality was examined using a cross-sectional secondary analysis from system assessment with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. RESULTS: RN and NA perceived relational quality indicated significant differences in teamwork and safety grade ratings, with both groups reporting perceived teamwork as high when patient safety grade was low. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the benefits of improving the RN-NA teamwork-communication relationship. An enhanced RN-NA relational quality can be used by nurse leaders to optimize patient care delivery outcomes.
he aim to achieve zero preventable harm in healthcare systems remains an important but elusive goal. 1 Recent reports suggest that medical error is the third leading cause of death in the US. 2 As healthcare organizations have increased their focus on implementing tactics to improve patient safety, there remains doubt about their effectiveness. 3 One intervention that has shown promise for decreasing errors in health systems is the assessment of organizational perceptions of patient safety culture and subsequent strategies to address findings.Perceptions of patient safety culture link the beliefs, values, and norms shared by staff in an organization with actual patient safety. 4 Measuring perceptions of safety culture can raise staff awareness about patient safety, assess the current status of patient safety culture, and support comparisons within and across organizations. 4 One of the primary tools used to measure safety culture in US healthcare organizations is the Hospital Survey on Patient Understanding the peer, manager, and system influence on patient safetyA unique view of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture
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