Transformational Leadership and the Reporting of Patient Safety Events Among Emergency Nurses: The Mediating Role of Psychological Safety

Background/Objectives: Underreporting of patient safety events is a persistent problem in high-risk clinical settings such as emergency departments, yet the managerial and psychological conditions associated with reporting remain underexamined. This study aimed to examine the relationship between transformational leadership and patient safety event reporting behavior among emergency department nurses, and to test the mediating role of psychological safety in this relationship.

Methods

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 295 nurses working in the emergency departments of two city hospitals in Ankara, Turkey. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Transformational Leadership Scale, the Psychological Safety Scale, and the "Reporting Patient Safety Events" composite of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture 2.0 (HSOPSC 2.0). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and path analysis with bootstrap-based mediation testing (SPSS 29 and AMOS 24).