2016 44(1 ) 118 Nurses’ perception and knowledge of factors affecting patient safety at Taif Hospitals Khaled A. Khader, Ahmed A. Ibrahem , Ibrahim R. Ayasreh, Nabeel A. Al-Mawajdeh Abstract Patient safety is one of the major goals adapted national wide especially by World Health Organization (WHO). There are many factors affecting patient safety such as infection, environmental hazards and inappropriate care. According to national guidelines, patient safety skills should be part of everyday nursing work. The nurses must have knowledge and skills to prevent any possible harm to patients. Objective: To assess nurses‟ perception and knowledge of patient safety and factors affecting that safety which will be reflected positively on the quality of care and patients health. Method: The study uses the descriptive design to study 234 nurses in various hospitals in Taif City; Saudi Arabia. The data were collected using patient safety tool developed by Texas-Memorial Hermann Center for Healthcare Quality and Safety and demographic questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS. Results: The result of study showed positive scores (76.8) of nurses‟ perception toward patient safety, and positive scores of four subscales out of six. ANOVA test revealed significant relations between patient safety and nurses‟ age, experience, degree, and previous attendance of safety courses. On the other hand, analysis of gender, working area, and role of nurses showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of the study will help managers to improve patient safety and consequently quality of care. Also, it will help identifying which parts of information and training required for various nursing sections. Keywords: Patient safety, nurses’ perception, quality of care. 1. Background and literature review Safety is a global issue, affecting patients at all levels of care. It is one of the major goals adopted national wide (Khater et al., 2014). According to national guidelines, patient safety skills should be a part of everyday work (Khater et al., 2014). Patient safety means to avoid and prevent any injury to the patient during health care provision (Abdolahzadeh et al, 2012). It was defined by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) as “the prevention of harm to patients” (Aspden, et al., 2005). Patient safety also means „„freedom from accidental injury”. Ensuring patient safety involves the establishment of operational systems and processes that minimize the likelihood of