Patient safety culture among European cancer nurses - an exploratory, cross-sectional survey comparing data from Estonia, Germany, Netherlands and United Kingdom.

To explore the differences in perceived patient safety culture in cancer nurses working in Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.An exploratory cross-sectional survey.In 2018, 393 cancer nurses completed the 12 dimensions of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.The mean score for the overall patient safety grade was 61.3. The highest rated dimension was 'teamwork within units' while 'staffing' was the lowest in all four countries. Nurses in the Netherlands and in the United Kingdom, scored higher on 'communication openness', the 'frequency of events reported' and 'nonpunitive response to errors', than nurses from Estonia or Germany. We found statistically significant differences between the countries for the association between five of the 12 dimensions with the overall patient safety grade: overall perception of patient safety, communication openness, staffing, handoffs and transitions and nonpunitive response to errors.Patient safety culture, as reported by cancer nurses, varies between European countries and contextual factors, such as recognition of the nursing role and education have an impact on it. Cancer nurses' role in promoting patient safety is a key concern and requires better recognition on a European and global level. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.