| This study validated the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ), by linking the safety-relevant attitudes of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) personnel to ICU patient outcomes and nurse turnover. SAQ data from 3,741 ICU personnel (registered nurses, charge nurses, junior doctors and consultants) were collected anonymously across 106 general adult ICUs in the United Kingdom. CFA of SAQ data demonstrated a good fit for a six factor solution (Teamwork Climate, Job Satisfaction, Perceptions of Management, Safety Climate, Working Conditions, and Stress Recognition). Aggregated SAQ data (ICU level) were compared to Risk-Adjusted ICU Mortality rates and nurse turnover rates for each ICU. Patient outcome data came from an archive of 18,089 ICU admissions. The linkage of attitudes to outcomes produced criterion validity data for each of the six factors. In addition, test retest and internal consistency measures further validated the reliability and validity of the SAQ factors. This research extends previous attitude-outcome research conducted in commercial aviation (Helmreich, Foushee, Benson & Russini, 1986; Sexton & Klinect, 2001). The findings of the current study demonstrate that ICU caregiver attitudinal data are valid indicators of ICU patient safety, capturing variance in patient outcomes above and beyond patient condition. |
