How hospital leaders contribute to patient safety through the development of trust.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the associations between hospital management support for patient safety, registered nurses' trust in hospital management, and their overall perception of patient safety, considering aspects of safety communication as possible mediating variables. BACKGROUND: Limited research exists regarding how key elements of a patient safety culture, that is, leadership, safety communication, and trust, are interrelated. METHODS: This study used cross-sectional nurse survey data from 1,633 registered nurses working in 35 acute care hospitals participating in the Swiss arm of the RN4CAST (Nurse Forecasting in Europe) study. RESULTS: A path analysis revealed that the indirect associations between "management support for patient safety" and "overall perception of patient safety" were more prominent than the direct association. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm that safety communication plays a partially mediating role between "management support for patient safety" and nursing professionals' assessments of patient safety. This suggests that hospital leader-unit exchanges might improve patient safety.

How hospital leaders contribute to patient safety through the development of trust.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the associations between hospital management support for patient safety, registered nurses' trust in hospital management, and their overall perception of patient safety, considering aspects of safety communication as possible mediating variables. BACKGROUND: Limited research exists regarding how key elements of a patient safety culture, that is, leadership, safety communication, and trust, are interrelated. METHODS: This study used cross-sectional nurse survey data from 1,633 registered nurses working in 35 acute care hospitals participating in the Swiss arm of the RN4CAST (Nurse Forecasting in Europe) study. RESULTS: A path analysis revealed that the indirect associations between "management support for patient safety" and "overall perception of patient safety" were more prominent than the direct association. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm that safety communication plays a partially mediating role between "management support for patient safety" and nursing professionals' assessments of patient safety. This suggests that hospital leader-unit exchanges might improve patient safety.

Health Care Professionals' Interest in Vaccination Training in Switzerland: A Quantitative Survey.

Objectives: Health care professionals (HCPs) play an important role for patients' vaccination decisions. To counsel patients/clients appropriately, HCPs need current factual knowledge about vaccines and strong communication skills. Methods: We conducted an online survey with physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and midwives in Switzerland (01.11.2020-31.03.2021). We evaluated: 1) interest in vaccination knowledge and counseling training; 2) vaccination recommendation practices; 3) experience with vaccination counseling/administration; 4) comfort level in addressing vaccine hesitancy (VH); 5) perspectives on patient/client VH, delays, and refusals. Results: In total, 1,933 practicing HCPs responded (496 physicians, 226 pharmacists, 607 nurses, 604 midwives). 43% physicians, 31% pharmacists, 15% nurses, and 23% midwives felt comfortable counseling VH patients/clients. 96% physicians, 98% pharmacists, 85% nurses, and 91% midwives were interested in additional vaccination-related training. All professionals mentioned safety, efficacy, and side effects as topics of most interest for additional training. Conclusion: Results demonstrate a high interest among HCPs for additional vaccination-related training. In addition to factual information about vaccination, such training will likely benefit from a communication component, given the low rates of comfort reported by HCPs when counseling VH patients/clients.