Towards A Safer Health System: Attitudes Of Health Care Professionals Towards Patient Safety Culture

Objectives: To measure the attitudes of health care professionals towards patient safety culture and to identify areas of improvement that will assist in achieving improved service excellence in the organization. Methods: A mixed-method study was conducted at Shifa International Hospital and Shifa Foundation Community Health Centre. A total of 350 participants were recruited, and the duration of the study was six months after IRB approval. Demographic data was collected, and a safety attitude questionnaire (SAQ) with 1- 36 items was used for quantitative purposes. This questionnaire had some additional open-ended questions, 37-41, which were used as a qualitative analysis to enrich information. For quantitative analysis, the data was analyzed using SPSS version 21.00. The demographic data was analyzed by descriptive statistics. The answers to open-ended questions (37-41) were analyzed through thematic analysis, coding the data to identify themes. Results: The Overall response rate was 78%. Out of all items, safety climate and job satisfaction scored highest, followed by teamwork climate and working conditions. The lowest scores obtained were of stress recognition and perception of management. Qualitative analysis resulted in the emergence of three main themes, i.e. Awareness of safety attitude culture, Reporting of adverse events and Recommendations for improving. Conclusion: The institutions must prioritize a safety-oriented culture and continuously evaluate practices to ensure a safe and effective health system.