The impact of nursing practice environments on patient safety culture in primary health care: a scoping review

Background Patient safety has in recent decades become a global concern. It is a key priority area of healthcare organisations, and has a direct impact on patient health and wellbeing. Work environments can strongly impact nurses' wellbeing and may ultimately produce different outcomes for both professionals and patients. The adverse events occurrence is an example of how work environments influence outcomes, and there is evidence of this correlation in several studies conducted in recent years.

Aim To map the knowledge regarding the impact that nursing practice environments have on safety culture in primary healthcare settings, as primary health care concentrates a significant portion of the population’s care.

Design & setting This review was conducted following the methodology proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) for scoping reviews.

Method Study selection, data extraction, and synthesis were performed by two independent reviewers. Based on Population (or participants), Concept, and Context (PCC) framework, studies were considered that addressed nurses' practice environment and patient safety culture in primary health care. All studies published or unpublished from 2002 to the present were considered.

Results Seven studies were included in this review; however, the existing evidence on the relation between nurses' practice environments and patient safety is still limited in primary healthcare settings. Although clear evidence was not found, several characteristics of nursing practice environments that may impact healthcare safety were found, such as leadership, communication, and organisational culture and policies.

Conclusion More research directed at primary healthcare nursing practice settings is needed and could be valuable in defining and implementing strategies that promote the safety of care.