Towards promoting patient safety practices: Baseline assessment of patient safety culture in three private hospitals

The study aimed to: assess patient safety culture in three private hospitals, define strengths and weaknesses in patient safety culture, and examine the socio-demographic determinants of patient safety culture. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1193 healthcare providers and administrators with 68.4% response rate. A locally customized hospital version of the Patient Safety Culture Survey (HSOPSC) developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was used. The mean score of overall perception of safety and frequency of event reporting were 3.4/5.0 and 4.0/5.0, respectively. 'Excellent' and 'very good' overall grade on patient safety was reported by 28.9 and 55.3% of participants, respectively. About half of participants reported no events in the last 12 months, while 31.4% reported 1-2 events. The strength areas were teamwork within units, organizational learning, and continuous improvement composite dimensions. However, the areas that required improvement were supervisor expectations, actions promoting patient safety, and hospital handoffs and transitions. Higher level of education, nursing career, training on patient safety, having direct communication with patients and working in small hospitals were the determinants of better patient safety culture practice. Hospital managers and policy makers ought to heighten the performance and practices within a non-punitive reporting atmosphere.