<![CDATA[Patient safety remains a global healthcare priority because preventable adverse events continue to occur despite ongoing quality improvement efforts. This study aimed to determine the relationship between nurses' work motivation, head nurse leadership style, and patient safety practices among staff nurses at Maryam Citra Medika Hospital, Takalar. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 staff nurses using a total sampling technique. Most respondents were female (86.0%), aged ≤30 years (58.0%), had 1–4 years of work experience (62.0%), and all had previously participated in patient safety training. Data were collected using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) Version 2, a work motivation questionnaire, and a head nurse leadership questionnaire. Fisher's Exact Test was used to examine the associations between variables. Good work motivation was reported by 41 respondents (82.0%), while positive head nurse leadership and good patient safety practices were each reported by 44 respondents (88.0%). Work motivation was significantly associated with patient safety practices (Fisher's Exact Test, p = 0.043), with nurses who had good work motivation being 5.76 times more likely to demonstrate good patient safety practices (OR = 5.76; 95% CI: 1.15–28.92). Head nurse leadership was also significantly associated with patient safety practices (p = 0.007), with nurses perceiving good leadership having 15.60 times higher odds of demonstrating good patient safety practices (OR = 15.60; 95% CI: 2.25–108.12)]]>
