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

INTRODUCTION: 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. AIM: 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. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted 1 year after patient safety initiatives were implemented. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 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. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: 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. RESULTS: 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). CONCLUSIONS: 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.