Construction and Validation of the Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Communication Scale in Nursing.

Background and Purpose: An absence of specific and precise instruments that measure the construct of intrapersonal and interpersonal communication in nursing was verified. This study aimed to construct and validate the intrapersonal and interpersonal communication scale in nursing. Methods: A psychometric study was conducted on a sample of 360 nurses from a hospital and university center in the central region of Portugal. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency and construct validity through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Results: Four factors were decided upon: "self-efficacy," "empathy," "assertiveness," and "self-knowledge." Good internal consistency was obtained with Cronbach's alpha and adequate quality of adjustment indexes for the model. Conclusions: The key global indicators of the model's adjustment and reliability analysis express their quality for the Portuguese population.

Safety culture in maternity hospital: Perception of nurse-midwives.

AIM: To explore nurse-midwives' perceptions of safety culture in maternity hospitals. DESIGN: A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted using focus groups and reported following the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. METHODS: Data were obtained through two online focus group sessions in June 2022 with 13 nurse-midwives from two maternity hospitals in the central region of Portugal. The first focus group comprised 6 nurse-midwives, and the second comprised 7 nurse-midwives. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. FINDINGS: Two main themes emerged from the data: (i) barriers to promoting a safety culture; (ii) safety culture promotion strategies. The first theme is supported by four categories: ineffective communication, unproductive management, instability in teams and the problem of errors in care delivery. The second theme is supported by two categories: managers' commitment to safety and the promotion of effective communication. CONCLUSION: The study results show that the safety culture in maternity hospitals is compromised by ineffective communication, team instability, insufficient allocation of nurse-midwives, a prevailing punitive culture and underreporting of adverse events. These highlight the need for managers to commit to providing better working conditions, encourage training with the development of a fairer safety culture and encourage reporting and learning from mistakes. There is also a need to invest in team leaders who allow better conflict management and optimization of communication skills is essential. IMPACT: Disseminating these results will provide relevance to the safety culture problem, allowing greater awareness of nurse-midwives and managers about vulnerable areas, and lead to the implementation of effective changes for safe maternal and neonatal care. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: There was no patient or public contribution as the study only concerned service providers, that is, nurse-midwives themselves.

Patient safety culture in nurses' clinical practice / Cultura de segurança do doente na prática clínica dos enfermeiros / Cultura de seguridad del paciente en la práctica clínica de enfermería

Abstract Objective: to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, to characterize the patient safety culture, and to assess the influence of the sociodemographic and professional variables on the safety culture dimensions. Method: a methodological, observational, analytical and cross-sectional study conducted with 360 nurses in which the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire was used. The data were submitted to descriptive and inferential analysis, as well as to feasibility and validity studies. Results: the nurses' mean age is 42 years old, their mean time of professional experience is 19 years, and they are mostly female. Good internal consistency was obtained (Cronbach's alpha: 0.83), as well as acceptable model fit quality indices. Teamwork within units, Supervisor expectations and Feedback and communication about errors were the dimensions that obtained scores above 60%. Non-punitive response to error, Frequency of events reported, Support for patient safety and Staffing presented scores below 40%. These dimensions are influenced by age, schooling level and professional experience. Conclusion: the psychometric properties of the questionnaire certify its good quality. Teamwork can be considered as an enhancing factor for the safety culture. Assessing the safety culture allowed identifying problematic dimensions, thus enabling planning of future interventions.

Resumo Objetivo: avaliar as caraterísticas psicométricas do Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, caracterizar a cultura de segurança do doente e avaliar a influência das variáveis sociodemográficas e profissionais nas dimensões da cultura de segurança. Método: estudo metodológico, observacional, analítico, transversal, realizado com 360 enfermeiros, utilizando o questionário Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Os dados foram submetidos à análise descritiva, inferencial e estudos de fiabilidade e validade. Resultados: os enfermeiros possuem em média 42 anos de idade, 19 anos de experiência profissional e são maioritariamente do sexo feminino. Obteve-se boa consistência interna (alfa de Cronbach - 0,83) e índices aceitáveis de qualidade de ajustamento do modelo. O trabalho em equipa dentro das unidades, expetativas do supervisor, feedback e comunicação sobre o erro, foram dimensões que apresentaram scores acima dos 60%. A resposta ao erro não punitiva, frequência da notificação, apoio à segurança pela gestão, dotação de profissionais, apresentaram scores abaixo dos 40%. Estas dimensões são influenciadas pela idade, escolaridade e experiência profissional. Conclusão: as propriedades psicométricas do questionário certificam a sua qualidade. O trabalho em equipa pode ser considerado um fator potenciador da cultura de segurança. Avaliar a cultura de segurança permitiu identificar dimensões problemáticas, possibilitando o planeamento de intervenções futuras.

Resumen Objetivo: evaluar las características psicométricas de la Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, caracterizar la cultura de seguridad del paciente y evaluar la influencia de variables sociodemográficas y profesionales en las dimensiones de la cultura de seguridad. Método: estudio metodológico, observacional, analítico, transversal, realizado con 360 enfermeros, utilizando el cuestionario Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Los datos fueron sometidos a análisis descriptivo e inferencial y estudios de confiabilidad y validez. Resultados: los enfermeros tienen en promedio 42 años de edad, 19 años de experiencia profesional y la mayoría es de sexo femenino. Se obtuvo buena consistencia interna (alfa de Cronbach - 0,83) e índices aceptables de bondad de ajuste del modelo. El trabajo en equipo dentro de las unidades, las expectativas del supervisor, el feedback y la comunicación del error fueron las dimensiones que presentaron puntajes superiores al 60%. La respuesta al error no punitiva, la frecuencia de notificación, el apoyo a la seguridad por parte de los gestores, la dotación de personal, presentaron puntajes por debajo del 40%. Estas dimensiones son influenciadas por la edad, la educación y la experiencia profesional. Conclusión: las propiedades psicométricas del cuestionario certifican su calidad. El trabajo en equipo puede considerarse un factor que potencia la cultura de seguridad. La evaluación de la cultura de seguridad permitió identificar las dimensiones que tenían problemas y poder planificar futuras intervenciones.

Construction and validity of the Interprofessional Communication in Health Scale.

OBJECTIVES: to construct and validate the Interprofessional Communication Scale in Health. METHODS: a psychometric study was carried out on a sample of 360 nurses from a hospital and university center in central Portugal. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency and construct validity through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: the Interprofessional Communication in Health Scale, consisting of 27 items, is organized into 3 factors: "Teamwork", "Conflict management" and "Leadership", with a total variance of 51.1%. Good internal consistency was obtained, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.842, and adequate Goodness of Fit Index model. CONCLUSIONS: the Interprofessional Communication in Health Scale presents a factorial structure with adequate validity and reliability results, and may constitute a useful self-report instrument in assessing interprofessional communication in health.

Patient safety culture in nurses' clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE: to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, to characterize the patient safety culture, and to assess the influence of the sociodemographic and professional variables on the safety culture dimensions. METHOD: a methodological, observational, analytical and cross-sectional study conducted with 360 nurses in which the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire was used. The data were submitted to descriptive and inferential analysis, as well as to feasibility and validity studies. RESULTS: the nurses' mean age is 42 years old, their mean time of professional experience is 19 years, and they are mostly female. Good internal consistency was obtained (Cronbach's alpha: 0.83), as well as acceptable model fit quality indices. Teamwork within units, Supervisor expectations and Feedback and communication about errors were the dimensions that obtained scores above 60%. Non-punitive response to error, Frequency of events reported, Support for patient safety and Staffing presented scores below 40%. These dimensions are influenced by age, schooling level and professional experience. CONCLUSION: the psychometric properties of the questionnaire certify its good quality. Teamwork can be considered as an enhancing factor for the safety culture. Assessing the safety culture allowed identifying problematic dimensions, thus enabling planning of future interventions.

Construction and validity of the Interprofessional Communication in Health Scale / Construcción y validación de la Escala de Comunicación Interprofesional en Salud / Construção e validação da Escala de Comunicação Interprofissional em Saúde

ABSTRACT Objectives: to construct and validate the Interprofessional Communication Scale in Health. Methods: a psychometric study was carried out on a sample of 360 nurses from a hospital and university center in central Portugal. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency and construct validity through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: the Interprofessional Communication in Health Scale, consisting of 27 items, is organized into 3 factors: "Teamwork", "Conflict management" and "Leadership", with a total variance of 51.1%. Good internal consistency was obtained, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.842, and adequate Goodness of Fit Index model. Conclusions: the Interprofessional Communication in Health Scale presents a factorial structure with adequate validity and reliability results, and may constitute a useful self-report instrument in assessing interprofessional communication in health.

RESUMEN Objetivos: construir y validar la Escala de Comunicación Interprofesional en Salud. Métodos: el estudio psicométrico se realizó sobre una muestra de 360 enfermeras de un centro hospitalario y universitario del centro de Portugal. La confiabilidad se evaluó a través de la consistencia interna y la validez de constructo mediante análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio. Resultados: la Escala de Comunicación Interprofesional en Salud, compuesta por 27 ítems, se organiza en 3 factores: "Trabajo en equipo", "Gestión de conflictos" y "Liderazgo", con una varianza total del 51,1%. Se obtuvo una buena consistencia interna, con un alfa de Cronbach de 0,842, y adecuados índices de bondad de ajuste del modelo. Conclusiones: la Escala de Comunicación Interprofesional en Salud presenta una estructura factorial con resultados adecuados de validez y confiabilidad, pudiendo constituir un instrumento de autoinforme útil en la evaluación de la comunicación interprofesional en salud.

RESUMO Objetivos: construir e validar a Escala de Comunicação Interprofissional em Saúde. Métodos: o estudo psicométrico foi realizado em uma amostra com 360 enfermeiros de um centro hospitalar e universitário da região centro de Portugal. A confiabilidade foi avaliada através da consistência interna e a validade do construto pela análise fatorial exploratória e confirmatória. Resultados: a Escala de Comunicação Interprofissional em Saúde, constituída por 27 itens, está organizada em 3 fatores: "Trabalho em equipe", "Gestão de conflitos" e "Liderança", com uma variância total de 51,1%. Obtiveram-se boa consistência interna, com alfa de Cronbach de 0,842, e índices adequados de qualidade de ajustamento do modelo. Conclusões: a Escala de Comunicação Interprofissional em Saúde apresenta uma estrutura fatorial com resultados adequados de validade e de confiabilidade, podendo constituir-se um instrumento de autorresposta útil na avaliação da comunicação interprofissional em saúde.

Safety culture in obstetric nurses' clinical practice / La cultura de seguridad en la práctica clínica de enfermeros especializados en obstetricia / Cultura de segurança na prática clínica dos enfermeiros obstetras

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify the safety culture dimensions that influence obstetric nurses' clinical practice. Method: an observational, analytical and cross-sectional study, carried out from September 2018 to May 2019 at two maternity hospitals integrated in a hospital center in the Central region of Portugal. A total of 70 obstetric nurses answered the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. The data were submitted to descriptive and inferential analysis. The dimensions were considered strong when they presented scores ≥ 75.0% of positive answers, and deemed as problematic with scores ≤ 50.0%. Results: the "Teamwork within units" dimension was the one that obtained scores above 75.0%. The "Supervisor expectations", "Feedback and communication about errors", "Communication openness", "Organizational learning" and "Hospital handoffs and transitions" dimensions obtained scores between 50.0% and 65.0%. The "Non-punitive response to error", "Frequency of events reported", "Management support for patient safety" and "Staffing" dimensions had scores below 40.0%. Conclusion: the results of this study show that "Teamwork within units" is a strong safety culture dimension in maternity hospitals. However, the prevalence of a punitive culture, underreporting of adverse events, insufficient number of obstetrical nurses and little commitment of the hospital management are considered as problematic dimensions that influence obstetric nurses' practice. This assessment of the safety culture contributes to planning interventions that reduce the incidence of errors and improve the safety of obstetric care.

RESUMEN Objetivo: identificar las dimensiones de la cultura de seguridad que influencian la práctica clínica de enfermeros especializados en Obstetricia. Método: estudio observacional, analítico y transversal, realizado en dos maternidades integradas en un centro hospitalario de la región Central de Portugal entre septiembre de 2018 y mayo de 2019. Un total de 70 enfermeros especializados en Obstetricia respondió la Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Los datos se sometieron a análisis descriptivo e inferencial. Las dimensiones fueron consideradas sólidas cuando presentaron puntuaciones ≥ 75,0% de respuestas positivas, y problemáticas cuando obtuvieron valores ≤ 50,0%. Resultados: la dimensión "Trabajo en equipo dentro de las unidades" fue la que obtuvo puntuaciones superiores al 75,0%. Las dimensiones "Expectativas del supervisor", "Feedback y comunicación sobre los errores", "Apertura en la comunicación", "Aprendizaje organizacional" y "Transferencias y transiciones hospitalarias" obtuvieron puntuaciones entre 50,0% y 65,0%. Las dimensiones "Respuesta no punitiva a los errores", "Frecuencia d eventos notificados", "Apoyo de la gerencia a la seguridad del paciente" y "Dotación de profesionales" presentaron porcentajes inferiores al 40,0%. Conclusión: los resultados de este estudio demuestran que el "Trabajo en equipo dentro de las unidades" es una dimensión sólida de la cultura de seguridad en las maternidades. Sin embargo, la prevalencia de una cultura punitiva, de la subnotificación de eventos adversos, una dotación insuficiente de enfermeros especializados en Obstetricia u el bajo nivel de compromiso de la gerencia hospitalaria se consideran dimensiones problemáticas que influencian la práctica de los enfermeros especializados en Obstetricia. Esta evaluación de la cultura de seguridad ayuda a planificar intervenciones que reducen la incidencia de errores y mejoran la seguridad de la asistencia obstétrica.

RESUMO Objetivo: identificar as dimensões da cultura de segurança que influenciam a prática clínica dos enfermeiros obstetras. Método: estudo observacional, analítico, transversal, realizado em duas maternidades integradas em um centro hospitalar da região Centro de Portugal, no período de setembro de 2018 a maio de 2019. Um total de 70 enfermeiros obstetras respondeu ao Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Os dados foram submetidos à análise descritiva e inferencial. As dimensões foram consideradas fortes quando apresentaram scores ≥75,0% de respostas positivas, e consideradas problemáticas, quando apresentaram scores ≤ a 50,0%. Resultados: a dimensão "trabalho em equipe dentro das unidades" foi a dimensão que obteve scores acima de 75,0%. As dimensões "expectativas do supervisor", "feedback e comunicação sobre o erro", "abertura na comunicação", "aprendizagem organizacional" e "transferências e transições hospitalares" obtiveram pontuações entre 50,0% e 65,0%. As dimensões "resposta ao erro não punitiva", "frequência da notificação de eventos", "apoio à segurança do paciente pela gestão" e "quantidade de profissionais" apresentaram scores abaixo de 40,0%. Conclusão: os resultados deste estudo mostram que o trabalho em equipe dentro das unidades é uma dimensão forte da cultura de segurança nas maternidades. Contudo, a prevalência de uma cultura punitiva, de subnotificação de eventos adversos, uma quantidade insuficiente de enfermeiros obstetras e pouco comprometimento da gestão hospitalar são consideradas como dimensões problemáticas que influenciam a prática dos enfermeiros obstetras. Essa avaliação da cultura de segurança contribui para o planejamento de intervenções que reduzem a incidência de erros e melhoram a segurança da assistência obstétrica.