Strategies to nurture patient safety culture in Omani hospitals should focus upon building leadership capacity that support open communication, blame free, team work and continuous organizational learning.

abstract:Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of Omani adults regarding conventional coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors and to identify demographic variables associated with these knowledge levels. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional pilot study was carried out among a convenience sample of 130 adults attending a health awareness fair held in a local shopping mall in Muscat, Oman, in November 2012. A modified version of the Heart Disease Facts Questionnaire in both English and Arabic was used to assess knowledge of CHD risk factors. Scores were calculated by summing the correct answers for each item (range: 0-21). Inadequate knowledge was indicated by a mean score of <70%. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to establish the participants' knowledge levels and identify associated demographic variables. Results: A total of 114 subjects participated in the study (response rate: 87.7%). Of these, 69 participants (60.5%) had inadequate mean CHD knowledge scores. Knowledge of CHD risk factors was significantly associated with body mass index (odds ratio [OR] = 0.739; P = 0.023), marital status (OR = 0.057; P = 0.036) and education level (OR = 9.243; P = 0.006). Conclusion: Low knowledge levels of CHD risk factors were observed among the studied community sample in Oman; this is likely to limit the participants' ability to engage in preventative practices. These findings support the need for education programmes to enhance awareness of risk factors and prevention of CHD in Oman. Sultan Qaboos University Med J, May 2016, Vol. 16, Iss. 2, pp. 189-196, Epub.

Aims and objectives.  To explore the information needs of Yemeni patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery before hospital discharges and to examine the differences in the patients’ learning needs according to age, gender, level of education and working condition. Background.  Postcoronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients need more information before their discharge from the hospital. This need of information must be assessed and provided for them before their discharge from hospital to help them with adequate care and recovery at home. Design.  A descriptive, correlational design. Methods.  Data were collected from 120 CABG patients before their discharge from Al‐ Thawra Hospital, Sana’a, Yemen, by using modified Cardiac Patients Learning Needs Inventory (CPLNI) instrument. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to analyse the collected data. Results.  The information about chest and leg wound care, medication information, other pertinent information and complications were indicated to be the most valued by CABG patients prior to discharge. There was a statistically significant difference between patients’ total learning needs according to their socio‐demographic characteristics. Male patients needed more information than female patients (p = 0·004). Younger (p = 0·021) and middle‐aged (p = 0·032) patients needed more information than older ones. Highly educated (p = 0·000) and school‐level (p = 0·002) patients needed more information than those in the uneducated group. Working patients needed more information than non‐working ones (p = 0·000). Conclusion.  This study suggests that CABG patients have high information needs within 24–48 hours before hospital discharge. In addition, the results of this study showed that there are statistically significant differences in patients’ learning needs according to their demographic characteristics. Relevance to clinical practice.  Assessment of CABG patients’ information needs before their discharge from hospital helps in developing effective educational programme that will help these patients in their recovery at home.