Interdisciplinary Differences in Patient Safety Culture within a
Teaching Hospital in a South East Asia
Abstract
Background: Patient safety represents a global issue which leads to
potentially avoidable morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to
determine the inter-professional differences in patient safety culture
in a tertiary university hospital. Method: A cross-sectional study using
the Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) self-administered electronically
in the English and Malay languages to evaluate safety culture domains. A
positive percentage agreement score of 60% was considered satisfactory.
Comparisons were made between clinicians, nurses, allied health
professionals, ward attendants and support staff. Results: Of 6562
potential respondents, 5724 (80.4%) completed the questionnaire; 3930
(74.5%) women, 2263 (42.9%) nurses, and 1812 (34.2%) had 6-10 years
of working experience. The mean overall positive percentage agreement
scores were 66.2 (range=31.1 to 84.7%), with job satisfaction
(72.3±21.9%) and stress recognition (58.3±25.6%) representing the
highest and lowest mean domain scores respectively. Discussion:
Differences were observed between all five job categories. Linear
regression analyses revealed that the other four job categories scored
lower in teamwork, safety culture, job satisfaction, and working
conditions compared to nurses. Conclusions: The overall mean SAQ score
was above the satisfactory level, with unsatisfactory percentage
agreement scores in the stress recognition domain. Interventions to
improve patient safety culture should be developed, focusing on stress
management.