Structural empowerment, Magnet hospital characteristics, and patient safety culture: making the link.

Nurse managers are seeking ways to improve patient safety in their organizations. At the same time, they struggle to address nurse recruitment and retention concerns by focusing on the quality of nurses' work environment. This exploratory study tested a theoretical model, linking the quality of the nursing practice environments to a culture of patient safety. Specific strategies to increase nurses' access to empowerment structures and thereby increase the culture of patient safety are suggested.