Assessment of factors affecting patient safety culture in Maternity and Children hospital in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Background: Patient safety is defined as preventing harmful effects and errors for patients who are associated with healthcare. Improving patient care also is at the forefront of healthcare management policies and practice. Patient safety culture and the factors influencing this culture have not been extensively studied in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing the culture of patient safety in a Saudi hospital. The objectives were to determine the standard of the culture of patient safety and, to assess demographic and work-related factors variables on patient safety culture. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in all departments of Maternity and Children Hospital in Makkah, Saudi Arabia through an electronic survey. The target community of this study was the nurses and physicians. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) survey was used to gather the data. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 25, and descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages, as well as independent sample t-test, and One-Way ANOVA were used. The study was approved by an ethics board. Results: The reliability (α) of the scale was 0.856. The majority (97.8%) was Saudi. 78.8% of the participants were women and 42.8% were between 31 – 39 years. 62.5% had a bachelor's degree, and 58.4 were married. 76.2% of the study participants were nurses, while 23.8% of them were physicians. The income of 45.4% of the study participants was > 5,000 – ≤ 10,000, 42.4% had an experience between 5 – 10 years. The mean scores were as follows: Frequency of events reported = 3.11, Organizational learning–continuous improvement = 3.71; Teamwork within units = 3.74, Feedback and communication about errors = 3.65, Non-punitive response to error = 3.18, Staffing = 3.07, Hospital handoffs & transitions = 2.72, Total score = 3.27. All scores were out of 5. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate a favorable understanding of patient safety culture in the majority of patient safety culture areas but less favorable for the ‘hospital transitions’ sector.