How Do Safety Climate Ratings Relate to Attitudes Towards and Knowledge About Surgical Site Infection Prevention Measures?

Group Name: Watussi Study GroupBackground: A positive safety climate is an important precursor of safe care outcomes. However, only limited evidence supports the association of low surgical-site infection (SSI) rates and positive safety climate. We investigated the role that perceptions of SSI prevention measures play for both safety climate level and strength as a subjective norm, that is, the social pressure perceived to perform the prevention measures, commitment to observe SSI prevention measures despite other situational pressures, and the level of knowledge about the prevention measures. Methods: The safety climate scale of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire and 3 scales assessing subjective norm, commitment, and knowledge were used. All items were translated and retranslated from German to French and to Italian. All translated scales were pretested for understandability. Operating room (OR) personnel in 54 Swiss acute-care hospitals were surveyed, resulting in 2,769 analyzed responses with data aggregated on the hospital level. Two regression analyses were conducted: one using the percentage of positive responses per hospital as a safety climate level indicator, and another using the standard deviation of the safety climate ratings per hospital as a safety climate strength indicator. As independent variables, the hospital means of subjective norm, commitment, and knowledge were investigated and appropriately adjusted for number of respondents and sample composition. Results: The sample consisted of 1,495 nurses (54%) and 1,101 physicians (40%). Commitment and subjective norm were significant predictors (p < 0.001 and p < .05, respectively) of safety climate level, in the expected positive direction, but KNOW was not (R2, adjusted: 0.48); for safety climate strength, only COM was significant p < 0.001 (R2, adjusted: 0.27). Conclusions: The extent to which OR personnel were committed to perform the measures, such as timely administration of antibiotics, was associated with their safety climate rating level and strength. Thus, the rather general safety climate assessments are related to more specific safety behaviors necessary to achieve good outcomes such as low infection rates. Subjective norm was related to safety climate level only, indicating that in work environments with a good safety climate, the perceived social pressure to adhere to infection prevention measures may be higher. Knowledge about SSI prevention had no significant impact on safety climate, pointing to future research regarding the role of education in implementing prevention measures. Investigating how attitudes and knowledge about measures to prevent specific patient safety outcomes furthers our understanding of the role of safety climate in patient safety improvement.Funding: NoDisclosures: None

The double-edged sword effect of psychological safety climate: a theoretical framework

Purpose Psychological safety climate has been commonly conceptualized as a facilitative team property. Despite the literature review and meta-analysis conducted recently, little is known about the potential dark side of psychological safety climate. The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework to advance our understanding of both the bright and dark sides of psychological safety. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on extant theories and previous literature, the authors propose a conceptual framework of the mechanisms and boundary conditions underlying the relationship between psychological safety climate and dysfunctional team behavior. Findings The authors propose that the relationship between psychological safety climate and dysfunctional behaviors in the team is directly contingent on psychological safety climate strength, and indirectly contingent on task interdependence, group faultlines, group conflict asymmetry and team power distance differentiation. Originality/value First, the authors attempt to expand psychological safety climate literature by considering its potential damaging outcomes. Second, they contribute to the theory of psychological safety climate by suggesting a theoretical model consisting of the boundary conditions wherein psychological safety climate could reduce team effectiveness. Finally, the authors incorporate climate strength into the psychological safety literature to probe the antecedents of psychological safety climate strength and when it matters to the subsequent negative outcomes.

Perception of the Subject Matter Specialists about the Motivational Climate Existing in Krishi Vigyan Kendras in Assam

The study was carried out to measure the existing motivational climate as perceived by the Subject Matter Specialists (SMSs) of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) under Assam Agricultural University (AAU). The study was conducted at the KVKs functioning under the administrative control of the Directorate of Extension Education, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam. Motivational climate as perceived by SMSs was measured by MAO(C) scale developed by Pareek (1981). Findings revealed that the mean score of dependency climate motive (41.69) was the highest among the six motives, followed closely by control climate motive (40.84). These were followed by achievement climate motive (38.73), expert power climate motive (35.52), affiliation climate motive (33.29) and extension climate motive (32.87) in decreasing order of existing motivational climate strength. Hence it could be stated that an overall dependency-control climate existed in the KVKs under AAU, as perceived by the SMSs.

Personality and Organizational Career Growth: The Moderating Roles of Innovation Climate and Innovation Climate Strength

Drawing on trait activation theory, the present study answered the question about who achieves better career development in innovative organizations in the Chinese context. We examined the relationships of Big Five personality traits on organizational career growth while considering the cross-level moderating effects of innovation climate and innovation climate strength. More specifically, we argued that conscientiousness and openness to experience would be more strongly related to organizational career growth at the higher level of innovation climate, and the linkages between all Big Five personality traits and career growth are stronger when innovation climate strength is weaker. Data from 2,415 employees randomly selected from 280 institutions in China support most of the hypotheses. We discussed the theoretical and practical implications as well as the limitations and suggestions for future studies.