Assessment of Patient Safety Culture among Healthcare Providers

PURPOSE: Patient safety is an important element in ensuring quality of patient care and accreditation. This study aimed to assess the perception of patient safety culture among the healthcare providers; assess the areas of strength and improvement related to patient safety culture; and assess the relationship between patient safety culture and demographic variables of the sample.

METHOD: Descriptive correlational design was employed in this study. Data was collected using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC). A stratified random sample of 158 healthcare providers from the Diwan of Royal Court Health Complex in Muscat participated in this study.

RESULTS: The findings of this study indicated that most of the participants responded positively to the HSPSC items. The average percentage of positive responses was 56.4%. The major areas of strength were “teamwork within department,” “feedback and communication about errors,” and “organizational learning-continuous improvement” (83%, 77%, & 75%; respectively). The major areas of improvement were “frequency of events reported,” “teamwork across departments,” “non-punitive response to errors” and “overall perception of PS” (34%, 42%, 45% & 47%; respectively). Significant differences found were across “patient contact” characteristic [t (156) = 2.142, p = .034]; across “work specializations” [F (3, 154) = 2.84, p = .04]; and across “years of experience at the institution” [F (4, 153) = 4.86, p = .004].

CONCLUSION: A culture that is safe for healthcare providers to work is paramount to minimize adverse events and save patients’ lives. The findings of this study provide a foundation for further interventions to improve patient safety culture.