Nurses’ Perceptions of Patient Safety Culture in Three Hospitals in Saudi Arabia

• Published in: Journal of nursing scholarship Vol. 50; no. 4; pp. 422 - 431
• Main Authors: Alquwez, Nahed, Cruz, Jonas Preposi, Almoghairi, Ahmed Mohammed, Al‐otaibi, Raid Salman, Almutairi, Khalid Obaid, Alicante, Jerico G., Colet, Paolo C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.07.2018
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Citizenship; Clinical practice; Culture; Health care; Health facilities; Health services; Hospitals; Intervention; Medical errors; nurse; Nurses; Nursing; Openness; Organizational learning; Patient safety; patient safety culture; Patients; Perceptions; Policy making; Quality; Safety measures; Saudi Arabia; Singers; Staffing; Teamwork; Tenure; Workforce planning; Saudi Arabia; Saudi Arabia; nurse; hospitals; patient safety; Clinical practice; patient safety culture
• ISSN: 1527-6546; 1547-5069
• DOI: 10.1111/jnu.12394

Purpose To assess the present patient safety culture of three general hospitals in Saudi Arabia, as perceived by nurses. Design This study utilized a descriptive, cross‐sectional design. Methods A convenience sample of 351 nurses working in three general hospitals in the central region of Saudi Arabia was surveyed in this study using the Hospital Survey of Patients’ Safety Culture (HSOPSC) from October 2016 to April 2017. Results From the 12 composites of the HSOPSC, the nurses perceived only the following two patient safety areas as strengths: teamwork within units and organizational learning–continuous improvement. Six areas of patient safety were identified as weaknesses, namely overall perception of patient safety, handoffs and transitions, communication openness, staffing, frequency of events reported, and nonpunitive response to errors. Nationality, educational attainment, hospital, length of service in the hospital, work area or unit, length of service in the current work area or unit, current position, and direct patient contact or interaction were significant predictors of the nurses’ perceived patient safety culture. Conclusions The findings in this study clarify the current status of patient safety culture in three hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Clinical Relevance The present findings should be considered by policymakers, hospital leaders, and nurse executives in creating interventions aimed at improving the patient safety culture in hospitals. A multidimensional network intervention targeting the different dimensions of patient safety culture and involving different organizational levels should be implemented to improve patient safety.