Leader-Member Relationships and Patient Safety Culture

Abstract

Patient safety culture has been a national objective for years. Many different interventions have been explored in hopes of improvement, but reported statistics suggest that this issue has yet to be solved. The purpose of this study is to examine relationships between nurse leaders and their nursing staff, and how these relationships influence patient safety culture. Several existing data sources were combined into a single dataset to explore the relationships between structural variables, leader-member relationships, and patient safety culture. Structural variables explored included unit size, span of control, leader experience, shift worked, and unit tenure. Leader-member relationships are explored through the lens of Leader-Member Exchange theory, and operationalized using the LMX-7. Patient safety culture is operationalized using AHRQ's Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. This study has implications for nurse leaders, educators, and researchers. The study demonstrates the importance of contact frequency in the formation of leader-member relationships. Additionally, this study confirms the value of leader-member relationship when building a patient safety culture, both at the individual and unit level.