Evaluation of patient safety culture as perceived by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objectives: A good patient safety culture (PSC) is linked to a reduced risk of patient problems and minimal undesirable occurrences. This study investigated the PSC levels from nurses’ perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was applied. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) questionnaire was administered to 315 nurses working at 2 major hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a t-test, and a one-way ANOVA test. The statistical significance of the correlation was determined at the 0.05 level. Results: PSC was rated as medium overall according to the nurses, with a weighted mean of 2.88–0.76 and a relative weight of 57.57%. In addition, all PSC composites were rated from medium to high, except organizational learning, which was rated low. The correlation between sociodemographic variables as well as PSC levels was investigated using the t-test and one-way ANOVA test. The association is statistically significant when P ≤ 0.05. The findings revealed a statistically significant correlation between nurse nationality (t = −4.399, P = 0.000), age (F = 7.917, P = 0.000), experience in years (F = 3.760, P = 0.024), and hospital (t = −0.401, P = 0.689). Conclusions: The nurses in this study had a medium overall PSC level, and all PSC composites ranged from a medium to a high level, except organizational learning, which had a low level. In addition, the findings showed that there is a significant relationship between PSC levels, nurses’ nationalities, experience in years, and the hospital itself.

Exploring the perception of safety culture among nurses in Saudi Arabia

“…The number of complaints and claims against healthcare providers due to mortality or morbidities associated with adverse events is increasing in the Saudi Arabian healthcare system [ 20 , 21 ]. Ineffective leadership, blame culture, workload/inadequate staffing, and poor communication are the main factors that hinder a positive patient safety culture in Saudi Arabia [ 16 , 22 ].…”