Differences in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Safety Perceptions Between Nurses and Respiratory Therapists

Abstract

Background: Critically ill neonates are particularly susceptible to medical errors. Previous research has shown a strong link between positive attitudes towards safety climate and a lower incidence of medical errors. However, no study to our knowledge has evaluated NICU safety climate in the context of registered nurse (RN) and respiratory therapist (RT) perceptions. This study aims to identify the overall safety perceptions of NICU staff and to examine differences in safety perceptions between NICU RNs and RTs.

Methods: This study utilized a convenience sample of 79 NICU staff members (38 Nurses and 41 Respiratory Therapists). Questionnaires consisted of demographic factors (years of experience, sex, education) and the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ). Safety attitudes domains (management, job satisfaction, work conditions, safety, and stress) were evaluated among the total sample and between subgroups of RNs and RTs. The Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test was utilized to determine differences in the SAQ domains between RNs and RTs. The institutional review board approved this study.

Results: Among those who completed the study, approximately 84.8% were female. The median SAQ domains for the total sample were 25 (range 6-30) for management perceptions, 24 (range 5-25) for job satisfaction, 32 (range 7-35) for teamwork perceptions, 16 for working conditions (range 4-20), 27 (range 6-30) for safety perceptions, and 11 (range 3-15) for stress management. Statistically significant differences were found between RNs and RTs for job satisfaction (934.5, P=0.01) and stress management (427, P<0.01). Specifically, RNs reported more positive attitudes towards stress management compared to RTs (12 vs. 9, respectively). RNs reported slightly lower job satisfaction scores compared to RTs (23 vs. 24, respectively).

Conclusions: Overall, safety perceptions among NICU RTs and RNs are positive. Differences between RTs and RNs existed for stress management and job satisfaction. Future studies should explore reasons for these differences in stress and job satisfaction between RTs and RNs. Additionally, interventions focused on reducing medical errors should consider tailoring domain-specific aspects to account for differences in RT and RN safety perceptions.