Kontakt X:X | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2026.062

Linking nursing care quality and safety: a correlational studyNursing - Original article

Dominika Kohanová ORCID...^{1, *}, Andrea Sollárová ORCID...¹, Jana Bencová¹, Zuzana Dubeňová¹, Daniela Bartoníčková ORCID...²

¹ Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Faculty of Social Sciences and Health Care, Department of Nursing, Nitra, Slovak Republic

² Palacký University in Olomouc, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Olomouc, Czech Republic

Introduction: Quality nursing care and patient safety culture are key to healthcare performance, yet their interaction is still underexplored, especially in Central and Eastern Europe.

Objective: To examine the relationship between nurses' perceptions of care quality and patient safety culture in a Slovak teaching hospital.

Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study involved a convenience sample of 266 nurses from 18 departments of a Slovak teaching hospital. Data were collected using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture 2.0 (HSOPS 2.0) and Scale of Perceptions of Nursing Activities that Contribute to Nursing Care Quality (EPAECQC). Analyses included descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation, and multiple regression.

Results: Significant positive correlations were found between care quality and multiple safety culture dimensions (r = 0.128-0.345; p ≤ 0.05). Regression analysis identified four significant predictors of nurses' perceptions of nursing care quality: Organizational Learning-Continuous Improvement (β = 0.242, p < 0.001), Supervisor Support (β = 0.229, p < 0.001), Teamwork (β = 0.187, p = 0.003), and Handoffs and Information Exchange (β = 0.122, p = 0.049).

Conclusion: The findings confirm a strong interrelationship between perceived care quality and patient safety culture. These two domains reinforce each other and should be addressed together in quality improvement strategies. Leadership support, continuous learning, and effective teamwork are particularly influential and should be prioritized in efforts to enhance nursing care and safety performance.

Keywords: Nurses; Patient safety; Quality care; Safety culture; Teaching hospital

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: February 19, 2026; Revised: June 14, 2026; Accepted: September 17, 2026; Prepublished online: October 15, 2026