Search Results (56)

Past research has predominantly focused on personality traits and psychological–cognitive factors as isolated predictors of safety behavior, while their interactive effects in shaping safety behavior remain underexplored. The gap constrains mechanistic understanding of safety behavior and limits the effectiveness of individualized interventions. Therefore, this study developed a theoretical framework linking personality traits, psychological–cognitive mediators (safety awareness, safety attitude, safety motivation, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control) and safety behavior (safety compliance and safety participation). Quantitative data were collected from 431 frontline construction workers and managers using paper-based questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was used to test direct and indirect relationships among variables. The results reveal differentiated psychological–cognitive pathways through which personality traits shape safety behavior. Extraversion suppressed safety compliance through all psychological–cognitive factors except perceived behavioral control, and diminished safety participation via safety attitude and safety motivation. Agreeableness enhanced safety compliance through all psychological–cognitive factors except perceived behavioral control, whereas conscientiousness promoted safety compliance through all mediators. Agreeableness and conscientiousness strengthened safety participation via all mediators except safety awareness. Openness facilitated safety compliance through safety awareness but simultaneously inhibited it through other psychological–cognitive factors, and reduced safety participation via all mediators except safety awareness. Neuroticism undermined safety compliance via safety attitude, safety motivation, and subjective norm, and suppressed safety participation through safety attitude and safety motivation. These findings underscore the critical mediating role of psychological–cognitive factors in personality–safety behavior linkages and offer implications for individualized safety management. Recommended strategies include integrating personality and psychological–cognitive assessments to optimize work allocation and team collaboration, employing immersive and contextualized training to stabilize safety behavior, and developing an artificial intelligence–enabled safety management framework centered on psychological–cognitive regulation. Full article

Background: Ice hockey is a high-intensity collision sport with one of the highest injury rates among youth team sports. Despite advanced protective equipment, youth athletes remain particularly vulnerable due to their unique physiological and psychological characteristics. Objective: This narrative review aims to synthesise the current evidence on the epidemiology, risk factors, and prevention strategies for common sports injuries in youth ice hockey players. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library for publications between August 2015 and August 2025 using an iterative process and manual reference screening to identify relevant studies. Result: The evidence indicates that injury rates are notably high, ranging from 11.7 to 34.4 per 1000 athlete-hours. Concussions and upper/lower limb injuries are most prevalent. Body checking is the most significant modifiable risk factor associated with a threefold increase in concussion incidence. Policy interventions prohibiting body checking have demonstrated substantial benefits, leading to a 50–70% reduction in injury rates and a 57–60% reduction in concussions. Furthermore, the use of full-face protection was associated with a fourfold reduction in the risk of facial and dental injuries. Specialised preparatory activities and neuromuscular training, as well as comprehensive safety and rules training for players and coaches, can reduce the risk of injury in youth hockey players. Conclusion: This review underscores that effective injury prevention in youth ice hockey requires multi-faceted strategies focused on policy changes and proper equipment. Future work should focus on developing personalised prevention models, establishing youth-specific equipment standards, and enhancing safety awareness. Full article

The contemporary volatile business environment demands a shift from directive oversight to developmental leadership, given the complexity and rapid technological advancement characterizing modern workplaces. The Coaching Leadership Style (CLS) has emerged as a critical approach, linking extensively to enhanced employee engagement, performance, innovation, and psychological safety. However, the mechanisms by which coaching behaviors create these outcomes, especially the foundational element of safety, remain under-specified. Existing leadership research often lacks a replicable, mechanistic, and neurobiologically grounded model. This conceptual paper bridges this gap by integrating leadership science with interpersonal neurobiology. We propose Polyvagal Theory (PVT), a framework explaining the neurophysiology of safety and connection, as the missing mechanism that explains the effectiveness of CLS. We argue that the relational cues of a coaching leader (e.g., vocal prosody, attuned listening) are non-consciously detected via neuroception, shaping an employee’s autonomic state. We propose that these cues create physiological safety, which is the biological prerequisite that enables the interpersonal risk-taking and voice behaviors that constitute psychological safety. We then operationalize this synthesis by embedding PVT principles within the established 5E Coaching Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Execute, Evaluate), offering a practical, state-aware framework for leaders. This paper contributes a testable, micro-to-macro pathway from leader autonomic co-regulation to team-level high-performance outcomes. Full article

Background: Compassion fatigue (CF) is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion in the caregiving relationship, which can negatively impact patient safety and quality of care. Maternity care professionals are particularly vulnerable to CF due to their continuous empathetic engagement with patients in an unpredictable, high-stress work environment. Despite its significance, research on CF in maternity care is limited. The aim of this study is to explore experiences of CF among maternity care professionals. Methods: A thematic analysis of semi-structured in-depth interviews was conducted. The sample consisted of seven midwives and three gynecologists from different hospitals and outpatient care in Flanders (Belgium). Results: Experiences, risk factors and protective factors were identified as three organizing themes and further refined into 12 subthemes. Participants showed limited familiarity with the term CF but recognized its symptoms, including emotional exhaustion, reduced empathy, and a diminished ability to provide care, ‘as one normally would’. Key risk factors included high workload, emotional strain from ‘energy-consuming’ patients, fear of errors, and administrative burden. A supportive team environment, compassion satisfaction (CS), job autonomy and personal coping skills were identified as protective factors. Participants emphasized the need to recognize and address signals of CF. Conclusions: CF among maternity care professionals is underrecognized but appears to impact both caregiver well-being and patient care quality. Interventions should target awareness, team communication, psychological safety, and organizational context. A multilevel approach—combining individual, team, and systemic strategies—is needed to sustainably mitigate CF in maternity care. Full article

Background/Objectives: Novice nurses often struggle to assertively voice patient safety concerns due to limited clinical experience and hierarchical healthcare environments. Immersive virtual reality simulation (IVRS) may provide opportunities to practice assertive communication skills essential for interprofessional collaboration in a psychologically safe environment. This study aimed to evaluate the short- and long-term effectiveness of an IVRS speak-up training program in enhancing communication clarity and collaborative attitudes, as well as reducing experiences of nursing malpractice among novice nurses. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 36 novice nurses (18 participants each in control and experimental groups). The experimental group received a 200 min IVRS speak-up training program incorporating TeamSTEPPS communication strategies through four virtual reality scenarios. The control group received a 110 min conventional group lectures and discussions on communication training covering the same TeamSTEPPS strategies. Communication clarity and collaborative attitudes were measured at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 6 weeks post-intervention. Nursing malpractice experiences were assessed at 6 weeks post-intervention. Results: Communication clarity showed no significant interaction effect between groups and time points (F = 0.84, p = 0.437), though both groups demonstrated immediate post-intervention improvements. Collaborative attitudes showed a significant interaction effect (F = 4.23, p = 0.020), with the experimental group exhibiting significantly greater and sustained improvements at immediate and 6-week follow-up compared with the control group. No significant difference in nursing malpractice experiences was observed between groups (Z = 0.16, p = 0.872). Conclusions: The IVRS speak-up training program effectively enhanced novice nurses’ assertive communication skills in immersive, interactive environments tailored for realistic practice compared to conventional group discussion-based training. This program improved communication clarity in the short term and enhanced collaborative attitudes up to 6 weeks. Integrating or boosting IVRS training into novice nurses’ communication education may foster interprofessional collaboration and advance patient safety in clinical practice. Full article

Building psychological safety is vital for preventing workplace bullying and for sustaining employee well-being, organizational performance, and work engagement. This study developed and evaluated a short-term intervention promoting psychological safety and communication skills. The program provided strategies for addressing during high-stress situations and fostered a shared understanding of honest communication. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in a pharmaceutical company, with departments assigned to intervention or control groups. The effects were examined using a generalized linear mixed-effect model. In the intervention group, psychological safety with supervisors and teams significantly increased, preceding a significant rise in consultation tendencies, whereas bullying and supervisor-related intimidation significantly decreased. Work engagement declined in the control group but remained stable in the intervention group. These findings demonstrate that the program enhanced psychological safety, enabling employees to express opinions without irrational fear, which in turn increased consultation, improved communication, reduced bullying, and sustained work engagement. The group-based format further emphasized mutual understanding and skill-sharing, providing broad organizational benefits. This study positions psychological safety as a proximal mechanism that facilitates consultation behaviors and demonstrates the feasibility of integrating brief, evidence-based training into routine organizational development. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented strain on long-term care facilities (LTCFs), disproportionately affecting care aides who provide essential frontline support. This study explored the impact of the pandemic on care aides’ job satisfaction in LTCFs across Northern British Columbia, a geographically and structurally underserved region. Methods: Eight care aides participated in semi-structured virtual interviews, and data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Results: Five key themes emerged: (1) work environment and staffing conditions, (2) emotional and psychological burden, (3) communication and team dynamics, (4) resident care and safety, and (5) effects of evolving COVID-19-related policies. Participants consistently described emotional exhaustion, policy fatigue, grief from resident deaths, communication breakdowns, and uncertainty stemming from frequent procedural changes. These stressors were compounded by staffing shortages and limited access to mental health support, especially in rural settings. Conclusion: The findings highlight the urgent need for structural and psychological supports, including responsive leadership, accessible mental health resources, and stable employment policies, to protect care aides’ well-being and ensure quality of care in future public health emergencies. Full article

Introduction: Negative behaviors in nursing undermine well-being, erode team cohesion, and jeopardize patient safety. Rooted in systemic stressors—workload, emotional strain, and power imbalances—they have far-reaching effects on job satisfaction and care quality. Objective: To systematically map the scientific evidence on negative behaviors among nurses in healthcare organizations. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using five databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection, and RCAAP (for grey literature). The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. Two independent reviewers conducted data extraction and synthesis. Results: Eighteen studies published between 2017 and 2024 met inclusion criteria from an initial pool of 88 references. Eleven thematic domains emerged: (1) the cycle of violence; (2) victims profile; (3) perpetrator profile; (4) negative behaviors spectrum; (5) negative behaviors prevalence; (6) risk predictors; (7) protective predictors; (8) impact of negative behaviors on nurses; (9) impact of negative behaviors on patients; (10) impact of negative behaviors on healthcare organizations; (11) organizational strategies and the role of the nurse managers. Conclusions: The findings highlight the multidimensional nature of negative behaviors and the variability in how they are defined and assessed. This review highlights the need for conceptual clarity and standardized tools to address negative behaviors in nursing. Nurse managers, as key organizational agents, play a critical role in fostering psychological safety, promoting ethical leadership, and ensuring accountability. System-level strategies that align leadership with organizational values are essential to protect workforce well-being and safeguard patient care. Full article

Under intensified downward economic pressures on the economy, technological innovation is playing a pivotal role in the development of Chinese enterprises. Employees’ psychological safety significantly influences their innovative behaviors, as a climate of psychological safety fosters greater willingness among staff to engage in voice behaviors. Guanxi with a team leader may decrease this effect. This study analyzed survey data from 263 employees of China’s private manufacturing enterprises to explore the moderating role of guanxi with a team leader in the relationship between psychological safety climate and voice behavior. Results showed that psychological safety climate was positively correlated with promotive and prohibitive voices, and employees with a higher psychological safety climate were more likely to develop voice behavior. Guanxi with team leaders negatively moderated the relationship between psychological safety climate and promotive and prohibitive voices, and the association between psychological safety climate and promotive and prohibitive voices was strong when guanxi with a team leader was weak. This study expands the scope of the application of guanxi, with team leaders as a moderating variable. It helps leaders focus on the psychological safety climate of employees, maintain harmonious and friendly interpersonal relationships with employees, enable employees to spontaneously contribute to the development of the organization, and enhance cohesion in the organization. Full article

Introduction/Objective: Post-bariatric surgery patients require long-term, coordinated care to address complex nutritional, physiological, and behavioral challenges. Personalized smart nutrition, combining individualized dietary strategies with targeted monitoring, has emerged as a valuable direction for optimizing recovery and long-term outcomes. This article examines how traditional medical protocols can be enhanced by digital solutions in a multidisciplinary framework. Methods: The study analyzes current clinical practices, including personalized meal planning, physical rehabilitation, biochemical marker monitoring, and psychological counseling, as applied in post-bariatric care. These established approaches are then analyzed in relation to the NutriMonitCare system, a digital health system developed and tested in a laboratory environment. Used here as an illustrative example, the NutriMonitCare system demonstrates the potential of digital tools to support clinicians through real-time monitoring of dietary intake, activity levels, and physiological parameters. Results: Findings emphasize that medical protocols remain the cornerstone of post-surgical management, while digital tools may provide added value by enhancing data availability, supporting individualized decision making, and reinforcing patient adherence. Systems like the NutriMonitCare system could be integrated into interdisciplinary care models to refine nutrition-focused interventions and improve communication across care teams. However, their clinical utility remains theoretical at this stage and requires further validation. Conclusions: In conclusion, the integration of digital health tools with conventional post-operative care has the potential to advance personalized smart nutrition. Future research should focus on clinical evaluation, real-world testing, and ethical implementation of such technologies into established medical workflows to ensure both efficacy and patient safety. Full article

In China’s rapidly digitizing IT industry, empowering leadership has become a crucial catalyst for workplace proactivity; however, the mechanisms linking leadership practices to individual proactive behaviors remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by proposing a multi-level framework that integrates team processes and technological contexts. Based on the job demands–resources theory, the research examines the mechanisms of empowering leadership through parallel team-level pathways and the influence of digital infrastructure on these dynamics. Data were gathered in three phases from 510 employees across 74 teams in seven IT firms. Hierarchical analyses with SPSS 27.0, AMOS 28.0, and HLM 6.08 revealed three pathways: empowering leadership significantly enhances workplace proactivity, with team job crafting and psychological safety serving as sequential mediators. Moreover, access to knowledge via ICT moderates the relationship between team job crafting and workplace proactivity. This study theoretically contests sequential mediation assumptions by demonstrating parallel, non-overlapping mechanisms and redefines ICT’s role as a contextual enhancer in digital workplaces. Practically, it offers organizations a modular strategy: leaders can prioritize either job crafting systems or psychological safety climates to foster proactivity, depending on their team’s technological readiness. These insights offer practical recommendations for optimizing leadership practices in high-pressure IT environments, where digital tools and team dynamics influence employee initiative. Full article

Objective: Psychological safety (PS) is essential for health and social care professionals (HSCPs) working in high-stress environments. While much of the existing research focuses on PS within teams, less is known about HSCPs’ lived experiences across diverse health and social care settings. This scoping review aims to synthesise the qualitative literature on PS, identifying key barriers and enablers to its development in health and social care workplaces. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, covering a 20-year period (2004–2024). Eligible studies included primary qualitative research exploring HSCPs’ experiences of PS. Screening and data extraction were managed using Rayyan. An inductive thematic synthesis approach was applied to identify key patterns in the data. Results: The review identified several enablers and barriers to PS. The main enablers included (1) feeling safe within the team and (2) personal factors, which encompassed professional skills, experience, social support, and self-care. Conversely, key barriers were identified: (1) the normalisation of traumatic incidents, (2) unsupportive team and management structures, (3) organisational constraints, and (4) a lack of knowledge and training on PS. Conclusions: Understanding the enablers and barriers of PS is critical for improving workplace culture, resilience, and wellbeing among HSCPs. These findings provide a foundation for future research and interventions aimed at strengthening PS at individual, team, and organisational levels across diverse health and social care settings. The results also offer valuable insights for informing policies and practice to ultimately enhance both staff wellbeing and patient care quality. Full article

Background: Medical errors are common, and in particular, medication errors are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in healthcare. Nurses must disclose errors to build trust and ensure patient safety despite communication barriers and fear of reprisals. Truthful documentation and better collaboration can improve patient outcomes. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess barriers to error disclosure among nurses in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in the months of June and August 2024 using a convenience sample of 255 nurses at King Fahad Hospital (KFH), Hofuf. A self-administered questionnaire that contained socio-demographic questions, as well as the Barriers to Error Disclosure Assessment (BEDA) tool, was deployed. Results: The majority of the sample were female (92.2%) and Bachelor’s degree holders (80.8%) who had 1–5 or 6–10 years of experience, representing 45.5% and 29.0% of the sample, respectively. When medical errors occur, only 18% of the nurses disclosed them to patients and their families, and 34.5% of the respondents disclosed medical errors to another team of healthcare professionals. The types of barriers to error disclosure were identified as relating to confidence and knowledge barriers, institutional barriers, psychological barriers, and financial concern barriers. The overall barrier score had an average of 63%. The barriers with the highest scores were those relating to psychological barriers (68.2%), followed by institutional barriers (66.5%) and financial concern barriers (64.5%). Conclusions: Targeted interventions are required for addressing the identified specific needs to support healthcare providers, specifically nurses. New regulations and policy changes are crucial for training programs implementation, enhancing safety culture, and tackling job-related insecurities to minimize barriers to error disclosure and ultimately provide better patient care quality. Further investigations may include a different approach, and it is recommended to provide deeper insights into nurse experiences. Full article

Background/Objectives: The present study examined the predictive relationships between transformational leadership, psychological safety, and concussion reporting intentions. Interviews were used to understand the impact of the coach and teammates on the team environment and how this might lead to greater concussion reporting in team-sport athletes. Methods: This study employed a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design. 233 team-sport athletes (n = 160 males, n = 73 females, mean age = 19.83 years, SD = 3.15) completed quantitative measures of transformational leadership, psychological safety, and concussion reporting intentions, while five participants (n = 2 males, n = 3 females, mean age = 18.40 years, SD = 0.55) were subsequently interviewed about their experiences. Results: Quantitative results indicated that transformational leadership predicted a psychologically safe environment (p < 0.001), and social norms for team-sport athletes predicted concussion reporting intentions (p < 0.001). Qualitative findings highlighted the important role that coaches and teammates play in creating an open environment that encourages concussion reporting. Education and awareness were also seen to further develop such an environment, while athletes identified several barriers to reporting symptoms of concussion. Conclusions: The findings from this study provide researchers and practitioners with preliminary evidence that can shape the design of interventions to support the development of a team environment that can promote concussion reporting and, thus, prioritise player health. Full article

Background: Disruptive clinician behavior (DCB) negatively affects patient safety by impairing healthcare team communication. In Japanese hospitals, hierarchical structures and traditional leadership styles contribute to its persistence. This study examines the prevalence and impact of DCB in two general hospitals and evaluates the role of response strategies in mitigating its effects. Methods: A quantitative web-based survey was conducted among 256 healthcare professionals from two general hospitals (751 and 661 beds). The survey included demographic data, a validated DCB scale, and a structured questionnaire assessing triggers, responses, and impacts. Statistical analyses included principal component analysis (PCA), structural equation modeling (SEM), and moderated mediation analysis. Results: Among participants, 79.3% reported experiencing or witnessing DCB. Psychological/social impact partially mediated the relationship between DCB and hospital management issues (β = 0.19, p = 0.001). Response strategies reduced the psychological/social impact of DCB (β = −0.20, p < 0.001) but did not mitigate its direct effect on hospital management. Conclusions: While prompt responses can alleviate the psychological burden on victims, they do not prevent broader institutional damage caused by DCB. Effective interventions should focus on both individual and organizational measures to reduce the occurrence of DCB. Full article