Assessment of Patient Safety Culture Among Healthcare Professionals in Oman: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Patient safety (PS) is a worldwide concern affecting countries at all health system stages. Three million people die each year worldwide due to medical errors and unsafe care. Medical malpractice cases have increased in the Sultanate of Oman, although the reasons for this increase are poorly understood, and there are not many studies on PS. Aim: This study is aimed at assessing PS culture among healthcare professionals in Oman's healthcare facilities. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a national PS culture database maintained by the Directorate General of Quality Assurance at the Ministry of Health. The data was collected using a validated hospital survey on PS culture tool with Cronbach's alpha of 0.87 in the English version which was distributed online to 1599 full-time healthcare professionals in Oman; the response rate was 99%. A stratified random sampling technique was used. The study examined the relationship between items using t-tests, chi-squared tests, regression, and odds ratio. Results: Out of the 1599 healthcare professionals who participated in the study, 16 were excluded and only 1583 healthcare professionals were included; the majority 842 (53.2%) were working in nonprimary healthcare (non-PHC). The global average proportion of reported adverse events' positive response rates (PRRs) was significantly higher in the PHC group compared to the non-PHC group (50.0% vs. 47.6%) (p < 0.04). Staffing (OR 1.55; 95% CI [1.24-1.93]), teamwork across units (OR 1.37; 95% CI [1.07-1.75]), and organizational learning (OR 1.26; 95% CI [1.02-1.57]) were significantly higher than other domains. The female group showed significantly higher PRR in "staffing" (OR 1.27; 95% CI [1.00-1.62]) (p < 0.05). Similarly, older age demonstrated higher PRR in "nonpunitive response to errors" (OR 1.28; 95% CI [1.05-1.57]) (p < 0.02), the nursing profession exhibited higher PRR in "communication openness" (OR 1.57; 95% CI [1.24-1.98]) (p < 0.001), and advanced work experience was significantly higher in "management support" (OR 1.30; 95% CI [1.07-1.60]) (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The study reports that primary healthcare professionals in Omani healthcare institutions have higher PRRs in critical PSC domains like teamwork, supervisor expectations, organizational learning, and staffing compared to non-PHC professionals. They also scored highest in communication openness and management support. The study suggests interventions focusing on staffing adequacy, teamwork, and communication strategies can enhance PS culture among healthcare professionals.