Security, confidentiality, privacy and patient safety in the hospital information systems from the users’ perspective: A cross-sectional study

•What was already known on the topic?•Improving patient safety is the main function expected from HISs.•Privacy, confidentiality, and security challenges are common in the health information systems of developing countries.•What did this study add to our knowledge?•Although the given HISs was at a relatively desirable level in terms of information privacy, security, and patient safety, they were at an undesirable level concerning confidentiality from the users’ perspective.•Patient safety is affected by the privacy, confidentiality, and security of patient information at the given HISs.•Developing guidelines and regulations regarding the privacy, confidentiality, security, and patient safety of HISs and educating and training healthcare professionals about these concepts are critical. Patient safety maintenance and improvement is an expected core function of Hospital Information Systems (HISs). Patient safety can be affected by the privacy, confidentiality, and security of patient information. This study aimed to evaluate the security, confidentiality, privacy, and patient safety in the HISs from the users' perspective. A descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted in five teaching hospitals affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2022. The research population consisted of users of HISs in the nursing, medical records, radiology, laboratory, and pharmacy departments. The sample included 397 participants. The data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire and analyzed with the SPSS software using descriptive (mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage) and analytical (Pearson, Spearman, and chi-square tests) statistics. The mean score of patient information privacy, confidentiality, security, and patient safety was 3.19 ± 0.585, 2.48 ± 1.143, 2.53 ± 0.940, and 2.60 ± 0.959, respectively. Patient safety had a strong positive correlation with security and confidentiality, and a moderate positive correlation with patient information privacy (P