Perspective: Micro.
Objectives: The research develops a conceptual framework to investigate the extent to which the quality of workplace relationships, and the psychological capital affect the accreditation culture and, in turn, impact on the safety culture of doctors within Italian healthcare organizations.
Using Social Exchange Theory as theoretical framework (Blau, 1964), we studied the correlation of employees’ psychological capital (Luthans et al., 2007) with the quality of workplace relationships, accreditation and safety culture.
Building on Cooper’s (2000) model of safety culture, which comprises psychological, behavior, and situational aspects, we developed two sets of measures to test accreditation, and safety cultures. Since organizations with higher levels of accreditation culture show more attitudes to pursuit patient safety (Miller et al., 2005), we expected accreditation culture to influence safety culture.
Data and Methods: Data (N.1125) has been collected in 2015 from doctors working in Italian healthcare settings, using a survey-based, self-report strategy (Ghauri and Grønhaug, 2002). Involving most Italian Medical Scientific Societies, electronic surveys have been sent by e-mail, supported by a note explaining the research and confirming the anonymity. Measures were presented using statements to be rated on a 6-point Likert-type scale, with 1=strongly disagree, ranging to 6=strongly agree. We used the processes to test for validity and reliability of instruments (Hinkin, 1998, Ping, 2004), and we undertook cross-validation (Hair et al., 2010).
Results: Findings supported all hypotheses.
Conclusions: The research adds new information of the requirements to influence doctors’ compliance to patient safety, so as to improve safety outcomes in the healthcare sector.
Progress to date: Draft of paper outlined.
Contribution to Public Management: The findings from this research provide healthcare managers with an empirically robust model for testing safety culture within hospitals. This will provide a starting point for further research to help public managers to increase commitment to safety.
References
Blau, P. (1964), Exchange and power in social life, (John Wiley & Sons, New York).
Cooper, M. D. (2000), Towards a model of safety culture. Safety Science 36, 2, pp. 111-136.
Ghauri, P. & Grønhaug, K. (2002), Research Methods in Business Studies, (Pearson Education Lmt., Harlow).
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J. & Anderson, R. E. (2010), Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective, (Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey).
Hinkin, T. R. (1998), A Brief Tutorial on the Development of Measures for Use in Survey Questionnaires. Organizational Research Methods, 1, 1, pp. 104-121.
Luthans, F., Youssef, C. M. & Avolio, B. J. (2007), Psychological capital, (Oxford University Press, New York).
Miller, M. R., Pronovost, P., Donithan, M., Zeger, S., Zhan, C., Morlock, L. & Meyer, G. S. (2005), Relationship between performance measurement and accreditation: implications for quality of care and patient safety. Am J Med Qual, 20, 5, pp. 239-52.
Ping, R. A. (2004), On assuring valid measures for theoretical models using survey data. Journal of Business Research, 57, 2, pp. 125-141.
