Nurses' safety climate, quality of care, and standard precautions adherence and compliance: A cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Investigations about the interrelationships of nurses' safety climate, quality of care, and standard precautions (SP) adherence and compliance remain particularly scarce in the literature. Thus, we tested a model of the associations between nurses' safety climate, quality of care, and the factors influencing adherence and compliance with SPs utilizing the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. DESIGN: Cross-sectional design complying with STROBE guidelines. METHODS: Using convenience sampling, nurses (n = 730) from the Philippines were recruited. Data were collected between April and September 2022 using four validated self-report measures. Spearman Rho, mediation and path analyses, and SEM were employed for data analysis. RESULTS: Acceptable model fit indices were shown by the emerging model. The safety climate is positively associated with quality of care and factors influencing adherence to and compliance with SPs. Quality of care directly affected factors influencing adherence to SPs. The factors influencing adherence to SPs directly affected SP compliance. Quality of care mediated between safety climate and the factors influencing adherence to SPs. Factors influencing adherence to SPs mediated between safety climate, quality of care, and SP compliance. CONCLUSIONS: The study's variables are not distinct but overlapping nursing concepts that must be examined collectively. Nurse administrators can utilize the emerging model to formulate strategies and regulations for evaluating and enhancing nurses' safety climate, quality of care, and SP adherence and compliance. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Our findings may impact policymaking, organizational, and individual levels to improve nurses' clinical practice. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION This study had no patient contribution or public funding.