Assessment of patient safety culture: a comparative case study between physicians and nurses

Purpose This study compares responses of physicians and nurses to patient safety culture assessment in the Security Forces Hospital Program Makkah, Saudi Arabia, using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) survey tool and its referenced benchmarking tool. The purpose of this paper is to measure patient safety culture to improve its perception, reaction, and implementation, leading to improvement in care delivery. Design/methodology/approach This study uses convenience sampling, delivering paper copies. The completed surveys were collected by a designated hospital contact person in QPSD. The total population surveyed was 623: 336 nurses, 174 physicians, 9 pharmacists, and 104 technicians. Findings Composite-level results compared to AHRQ database hospitals show values below minimum positive in “Staffing” and “Non-Punitive response to error” to have decreased values in nursing answers than physician ones. The average percentage positive concerning “staffing” items is below the average percentage positive of database hospitals; in nursing, it decreases more; it shows a low positive response regarding enough staff, work hours, and crisis mode; the last item shows a more negative response. The average percentage positive concerning “No punitive Response to Error” is below average positive of database hospitals; in nursing, it decreases more, with a low positive response concerning feeling responsible for mistakes. Originality/value The approach explained in this paper aims to measure patient safety culture, which can be improved through mentioned recommendations.