The effect of nurses’ empowerment perceptions on job safety behaviours: a research study in Turkey

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Objective. This study aimed to investigate the effect of nurses’ empowerment perceptions on job safety behaviours. Methods. A survey of 377 nurses working in five hospitals in Turkey was conducted using the conditions of work effectiveness questionnaire, psychological empowerment instrument, universal precautions compliance scale and occupational health and safety obligations compliance scale. Relations between variables were tested using Pearson's correlation and path analysis. Results. There was a moderate and statistically significant relationship between psychological and structural empowerment and complying with universal safety measures and meeting occupational health and safety obligations. Also, an increase of 1 unit on the level of psychological empowerment was found to correspond to an increase of 0.37 units on the level of universal precautions compliance and to an increase of 0.46 units on the level of occupational health and safety obligations compliance. As such, an increase of 1 unit in structural empowerment corresponds to an increase of 0.53 units on the level of universal precautions compliance and to an increase of 0.36 units (total effect) on the level of occupational health and safety obligations compliance. Conclusions. The findings reveal that empowerment is a valuable tool for nurses’ positive job safety behaviours.