Patient safety outcomes: The influence of perceived work system effectiveness and handoff practices of nurses in a public and private hospital in Iloilo

Abstract

This descriptive-relational study was conducted to determine the influence of perceived work system effectiveness and handoff practices on patient safety outcomes of nurses in a public and private hospital in Iloilo. Specifically, this study aimed to determine the perception of nurses on the effectiveness of the work system and its components, determine handoff practices and its components, and determine patient safety outcomes. It also sought to determine the relationship between perceived work system effectiveness and patient safety outcomes and to determine the relationship between handoff practices and patient safety outcomes. This utilized the one-shot survey design that involved all the122 nurses employed at the target hospitals. A researcher-made, adapted, and modified questionnaire was used to collect the needed data. The instrument was validated by a panel of experts and was pre-tested among who were not part of the target population. Permission to conduct the study was secured from the Hospital Directors and Nursing Service Directors. The respondents were informed about their involvement and that their participation is voluntary. After the retrieval of the completed questionnaires, they were was subjected to statistical analysis and treatment. Data were processed using IBM® SPSS© Statistics Version 23. Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that majority of nurses are female, single, and designated as staff nurses. There were more who nurses who perceived their work system as effective but had ineffective handoff practices. Almost all of them exhibited safe patient care outcomes. There is a negligible relationship between age and effectiveness of handoff practices and between position and practices. Additionally, perceived work system effectiveness was found to be highly correlated with patient safety outcomes. Handoff practices of nurses were also very highly correlated with patient safety outcomes.