Safety Leadership of Head Nurses and Safety Culture Perceived by Registered Nurses in General Hospitals, Southern Thailand
Keywords:
Head nurses, Safety culture, Safety leadershipAbstract
The head nurse is the primary nursing administrator who plays a key role in systematically implementing safety management policies. The purpose of this descriptive correlational research was to study the level of safety leadership of head nurses, the safety culture as perceived by registered nurses, and the relationship between head nurses’ safety leadership and safety culture as perceived by registered nurses in general hospitals in the southern region of Thailand. The participants consisted of 132 registered nurses. Data were collected using a QR code-based questionnaire divided into three parts: (1) general information, (2) a safety culture questionnaire, and (3) a head nurse safety leadership questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient.
The results revealed that the overall level of safety leadership of head nurses was at a very high level (M = 4.31, SD = 0.51). The dimension with the highest mean score was safety coaching leadership (M = 4.34, SD = 0.61). The overall level of safety culture was also at a very high level (M = 4.31, SD = 0.51), with information culture showing the highest mean score (M = 4.36, SD = 0.60). The relationship between head nurses’ safety leadership and safety culture as perceived by registered nurses in general hospitals in the southern region of Thailand showed a strong positive correlation that was statistically significant (rs = .778, p < .01).
Nursing administrators can utilize these research findings to promote a culture of safety, focusing on developing safety leadership among head nurses.
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