Table 2 Mean scores and factor loadings of the items regarding patient safety culture

F4

There is good cooperation among hospital units that need to work together

F10

Hospital units work well together to provide the best care for patients

F2n

Hospital units do not coordinate well with each other

F3n

Things "fall between the cracks" when transferring patients from one unit to another

F7n

Problems often occur in the exchange of information across hospital units

A3

When a lot of work needs to be done quickly, we work together as a team to get the work done

A1

People support one another in this unit

A11

When one area in this unit gets really busy, others help out

A4

In this unit, people treat each other with respect

F11n

Shift changes are problematic for patients in this hospital

F5n

Important patient care information is often lost during shift changes

D2

When a mistake is made, but has no potential to harm the patient, how often is this reported?

D3

When a mistake is made that could harm the patient, but does not, how often is this reported?

D1

When a mistake is made, but is caught and corrected before affecting the patient, how often is this reported?

A16n

Staff worry that mistakes they make are kept in their personnel file

A12n

When an event is reported, it feels like the person is being written up, not the problem

A8n

Staff feel like their mistakes are held against them

F6n

It is often unpleasant to work with staff from other hospital units

C2

Staff will freely speak up if they see something that may negatively affect patient care

C4

Staff feel free to question the decisions or actions of those with more authority

C6n

Staff are afraid to ask questions when something does not seem right

C3

We are informed about errors that happen in this unit

C1

We are given feedback about changes put into place based on event reports

C5

In this unit, we discuss ways to prevent errors from happening again

A9

Mistakes have led to positive changes here

A13

After we make changes to improve patient safety, we evaluate their effectiveness

A6

We are actively doing things to improve patient safety

B3n

Whenever pressure builds up, my supervisor/manager wants us to work faster, even if it means taking shortcuts

B2

My supervisor/manager seriously considers staff suggestions for improving patient safety.

B4n

My supervisor/manager overlooks patient safety problems that happen over and over

B1

My supervisor/manager says a good word when he/she sees a job done according to established patient safety procedures

F8

The actions of hospital management show that patient safety is a top priority

F9n

Hospital management seems interested in patient safety only after an adverse event happens

F1

Hospital management provides a work climate that promotes patient safety

A5n

Staff in this unit work longer hours than is best for patient care

A2

We have enough staff to handle the workload

A7n

We use more agency/temporary staff than is best for patient care

A17n

We have patient safety problems in this unit

A18

Our procedures and systems are good at preventing errors from happening

A10n

It is just by chance that more serious mistakes don't happen around here

A14n

We work in "crisis mode" trying to do too much, too quickly

A15

Patient safety is never sacrificed to get more work done