Have our backs‐medical‐surgical nurses’ safety culture experiences: An inductive qualitative descriptive study

Abstract

Abstract Aim This study aims to describe medical‐surgical registered nurses' experiences with safety culture. Design Qualitative, Inductive descriptive. Methods Registered nurses were recruited from a Midwestern community hospital in the United States using purposive sampling. The participants were interviewed using semi‐structured interview questions from February 6, 2020‐April 9, 2020. Safety huddles were observed and key documents were collected. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis. The COREQ checklist was followed. Results A total of 16 registered nurses were interviewed. Six themes emerged: Time to know my patient to keep them safe, using my gut and nursing interventions, getting extra eyes on the patient, not always having what is needed to provide safe care, organization prioritizes patient safety, and learning: have our backs. No Patient or Public Contribution.

Keywords

• acute care
• nursing
• patient safety
• safety culture