Assessment of patient safety culture in clinical departments and laboratories of a university hospital

OBJECTIVE. To investigate the perceptions of patient safety culture of healthcare professionals working in departments and laboratories of a Greek university hospital, and to identify the factors that are crucial for enhancing patient safety culture. METHOD A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used, with a sample of 178 healthcare professionals (response rate 71.2%) working in vital departments of the hospital (the departments of surgery and ionizing radiation and the intensive care unit). Patient safety culture was assessed by using the "Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture" (HSOPSC) tool, developed by Sorra and Nieva. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were used to assess the association between patient safety culture, overall patient safety, and the frequency of hazardous events reported. RESULTS No significant difference (p>0.05) was found among the perceptions of the various respondents about patient safety, according to the HSOPSC tool. Higher positive rates were recorded on the dimensions "Organizational learning and continuous improvement" (73.3-75.5%) and lower positive rates on non-punitive response to error (23.3-28.4%). Significant differences (p<0.05) were found for perceptions about the overall perception of safety and the frequency of hazardous events reported, related to the ten dimensions of safety culture of the tool. The overall perception of safety among the healthcare professionals was satisfactory (81.9% positive responses), although only 45.6% reported no adverse event and 34.6% reported one or two adverse events during the preceding year. CONCLUSIONS The findings of the survey highlight the differences in perceptions of healthcare professionals about how the dimensions of safety culture affect overall patient safety and the frequency of events reported. These differences can serve as a guide for initiatives and targeted actions on the part of the management to enhance safety culture at the hospital.