A Cross-Sectional Study on Patient Safety Culture in a Tertiary CareHospital in India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6000/Keywords:
Patient safety culture, healthcare quality, HSOPSC, medical errors, staffing levels, error reporting, teamworK, organizational learning, India, tertiary care hospital, patient safety practices, healthcare improvementAbstract
Aim:The study was to assess the patient safety culture in a tertiary care hospital in India using the HSOPSC survey. It also sought to compare the findings with global data to identify strengths and areas for improvement in patient safety practices.Methods:This cross-sectional study used the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) version 2.0 to assess patient safety culture at a tertiary care hospital in India. The survey was administered to healthcare professionals across various specialties, with responses analyzed using SPSS software. Comparative analysis was conducted with global data from the AHRQ database to evaluate differences in patient safety perceptions.Findings: Findings revealed that while the hospital performed well in areas like organizational learning and communication about errors, it scored lower in domains such as staffing, error reporting, and teamwork compared to global data. A significant portion of staff reported challenges with staffing levels and work pace. Error reporting was less frequent, with many staff members indicating underreporting of incidents. Teamwork and communication within multidisciplinary teams also showed room for improvement, especially in overcoming hierarchical barriers. These results emphasize the need for better staffing practices, a supportive reporting environment, and enhanced interprofessional collaboration.Conclusion:This study highlights the strengths and weaknesses in patient safety culture at a tertiary care hospital in India, with notable gaps in staffing, error reporting, and teamwork. Addressing these challenges through improved staffing levels, non-punitive reporting systems, and team-building initiatives could enhance patient safety. The findings suggest that fostering a supportive and open safety culture is essential for reducing medical errors. The study provides valuable insights for healthcare policymakers to implement targeted interventions for safer patient care in Indian hospitals.
References
[1]Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS. Institute of Medicine (US) Commit tee on Quality of Health Care in America To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US) 2000. PMID: 25077248[2]Leape LL. Error in medicine. JAMA 1994; 272: 1851-7.https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1994.03520230061039[3]World Health Organization. Global patient safety action Plan 2021–2030: toward eliminating avoidable harm in health care. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO Press 2021.[4]Smits M, Zegers M, Groenewegen PP, Timmermans DRM, Zwaan L, Van der Wal G, Wagner C. Exploring the causes of adverse events in hospitals and potential prevention strategies. Quality and Safety in Health Care 2010; 19(5): 1-7.https://doi.org/10.1136/qshc.2008.030726[5]Cox S, Cox T. The structure of employee attitudes to safety: A European example. Work. Stress 1991; 5. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678379108257007[6]Hughes RG. Quality methods, benchmarking, and measuring perfor mance. In: Hughes RG, Ed. Patient safety and quality: an evidence based handbook for nurses. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 2008.[7]Weaver SJ, Lubomksi LH, Wilson RF, Pfoh ER, Martinez KA, Dy SM. Promot ing a culture of safety as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review. Ann Intern Med 2013; 158(5 Pt 2): 369-74.https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303051-00002[8]DiCuccio MH. The relationship between patient safety culture and patient outcomes: a systematic review. J Patient Saf 2015; 11: 135-42.https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000000058[9]Granel-Giménez N, Palmieri PA, Watson-Badia CE, Gómez-Ibáñez R, Leyva-Moral JM, Bernabeu-Tamayo MD. Patient safety culture in european hospitals: a comparative mixed methods study. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19(2): 939.https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020939[10]Kang S, Ho TTT, Lee N-J. Comparative studies on patient safety culture to strengthen health systems Among Southeast Asian Countries. Front Public Health 2021; 8: 600216. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.600216[11]Elmontsri M, Almashrafi A, Banarsee R, Majeed A. Status of patient safety culture in Arab countries: a systematic review. BMJ Open 2017; 7: e013487.https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013487[12]Wachter RM. Understanding patient safety. New York: McGraw-Hill 2008.[13]Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS. To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. National Academy Press 2000.[14]Mourad MH, Zohny MA. Assessing patient safety culture in a university hospital in Egypt: A cross-sectional study. BMC Health Services Research 2015; 15(1): 1-9.
928International Journal of Statistics in Medical Research, 2025, Vol. 14Bhaladhare and Rishipathak[15]Saxena P, Agarwal A. Patient safety culture in healthcare institutions: A review of the Indian scenario. Indian Journal of Community Medicine 2014; 39(2): 87-91.https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-0218.143018[16]Ramani S, Kumar S. Challenges in implementing patient safety practices in tertiary hospitals in India. Journal of Patient Safety 2017; 13(1): 48-52.[17]Koh H, Sando C. Cross-sectional survey of hospital staff's perception of patient safety culture in two tertiary hospitals in India. BMC Health Services Research 2016; 16: 560.[18]Zohar D, Luria G. The use of safety climate in organizational and industry research. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science 2005; 6(3): 213-232.[19]Vincent C. Patient Safety. Wiley-Blackwell 2010.https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444323856[20]World Health Organization (WHO). Patient safety: A world health organization overview. WHO 2019.
Downloads
Published
Versions
- 2026-01-16 (2)
- 2025-12-30 (1)
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Policy for Journals/Articles with Open Access
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post links to their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work
Policy for Journals / Manuscript with Paid Access
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Publisher retain copyright .
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post links to their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work .
