The Factors Influencing Safety Behavior of Medical Staffs in Emergency Room of a Medical Center in Taiwan

The outburst of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) during 2003 spring-summer has caused popular attention on safety of medical staffs. Some medical staffs died in the infectious disease. But most of the unsafe events can be prevented as long as safety behavior is being practiced. This study explored the factors affecting workers’ safety behavior and the advice is governed to administrators in emergency room. The study has surveyed 199 medical staffs regarding basic demographics, measurements of safety climate, and safety behavior, from July to October in 2005. The main findings are as follows: 1. Four dimensions were divided by factor analysis of the questionnaire, which were classified into four constructs such as “manager commitment”, “fatalistic attitude/cognition”, “communication and reward”, and “safety behavior”. 2. “Management commitment” presented the consistent and significant effect on safety behavior among physicians, nurses, and assistants. 3. In the population of nurse, the score of safety behavior increased by age. 4. The study has demonstrated that management commitment is positively associated with safety behavior. It prompts that regulation of safety is required to protect medical staffs from hazards. The findings of this research have landed on the importance of safety climate and management commitment for safety of medical staffs. The responsibility and effectiveness of a manager’s role and policy are equally important for securing institutional environment.