Perception of Patient Safety Culture among Health-care Providers in a Tertiary Care Hospital, South India

Patient safety is a global concern and is the most important domains of health-care quality. Medical error is a major patient safety concern, causing increase in health-care cost due to mortality, morbidity, or prolonged hospital stay.

The aim of the study was to assess the perceptions on patient safety culture among health-care providers (HCPs) at a public sector tertiary care hospital in South India.

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted 1 year after patient safety initiatives were implemented.

Participants were selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture was used to assess perception of patient safety culture. Responses were collected on a Likert scale and were categorized into four types as negative, neutral, positive response, and nonresponse.

The data were entered in EpiData Version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS Version 17. "Composite positive response rate" for the various dimensions was calculated.

The overall response rate in the study was 91.6%. Average composite positive response rate was 58%, and it varied among different cadres of HCPs ranged from 53% to 61%. The dimensions "teamwork within the unit," "organizational learning and continuous improvement," and "supervisor or officer-in-charge expectations" showed highest positive responses (80.1%, 77.8%, and 71.5%, respectively).

This survey conducted after implementation of patient safety drive showed that, in many dimensions, the patient safety culture has taken roots. The dimensions such as "hand-off and transitions," "frequency of events reporting," and "communication openness" had scope for further improvement.