Effect of an educational programme on the attitudes towards patient safety of operation room nurses

Background: A culture of patient safety is one of the cornerstones of good-quality healthcare, and its provision is one of the significant challenges in healthcare environments. Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a surgical safety educational programme on the attitudes of nurses to patient safety in operating rooms (OR). Design: An interventional one-group pre-/post-test design, which sought to measure changes in OR nurses' attitudes toward patient safety culture. Methods: A simple random sampling technique was used to recruit 66 OR nurses working at six Royal Medical Service hospitals in Amman, Jordan. All participants took part in a 4-hour educational workshop. Pre-tests and post-tests were done. Results: The results of this study showed that OR nurses' attitudes towards a culture of patient safety was originally negative; significant improvement after attending the programme was found (3.3 ± 0.20 versus 3.8 ± 0.30). There was a negative correlation between years of experience and nurses' attitudes towards patient safety. Conclusions: Incorporating courses about safety culture into continuing education programmes may improve nurses' attitudes towards patient safety. Nurses should be qualified to play an important role in creating a culture of patient safety.