Aims: The purpose of this study is to describe the perceptions of relational quality of the registered nurse and nursing assistant and examine how their view of the manager's influence impacts overall patient safety culture of a unit.
Background: The primary delivery of nursing care within acute care systems uses teams of registered nurses and nursing assistants.
Methods: A cross-sectional secondary analysis of data collected in the spring of 2018 using the Agency for Healthcare and Quality Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture and a seven-item questionnaire measuring relational quality was conducted. The sample included 1,152 responses.
Results: The manager influenced overall perceptions of safety regardless of the relational quality between the registered nurse and nursing assistant.
Conclusions: This study found manager behaviours that promote patient safety and also influence overall perceptions of patient safety culture regardless of the relational quality between the registered nurse and nursing assistant.
Implications for nursing management: Positive registered nurse and nursing assistant relational quality amplifies perceptions of patient safety culture, yet it is the manager's behaviours regarding safety that make the stronger contribution in building a culture of safety.
Keywords: manager influence; nursing assistant; registered nurse.
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.