The moderating role of just culture between nursing practice environment and oncology nurses' silent behaviors toward patient safety: A multicentered study

Background: Patient safety is a critical part of healthcare delivery that must be prioritized to guarantee optimal patient outcomes. Oncology nursing is a specialized area of nursing that demands great focus on patient safety because of the high-risk nature of this patient group. Nurses play an important role in ensuring that patients receive safe and effective care. However, the nursing practice environment can have a substantial impact on how nurses respond to patient safety problems. A just culture can promote open communication and identify potential safety issues, whereas a culture of silence can have a negative impact on patient outcomes. Objective: Firstly, assess the relationship between the nursing practice environment and oncology nurses' silent behavior towards patient safety. Secondly, the interaction effect of just culture as a moderator in this relationship. Method: A cross-sectional, correctional research design was employed. Data was collected from 303 nurses working at the oncology departments of five hospitals in Egypt using three questionnaires. Data was analyzed using SPSS-PROCESS Macro (v4.2). Results: There was a moderate, negative, and significant correlation between the nurse practice environment and silent behavior of nurses towards patient safety. The interaction effect of just culture with nurse practice environment strengthens this relationship, thus enhancing errors reporting. Conclusions: This study emphasized on the importance of creating a just culture that facilitates open communication and eliminating the potential hazards result from nurses' silence. Thus, oncology nurses must be encouraged to report issues related to patient safety.