Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture: psychometric evaluation in Kuwaiti public healthcare settings

Abstract

ObjectiveAs healthcare organisations endeavour to improve the quality and safety of their services, there is increasing recognition of the importance of building a culture of safety to promote patient safety and improve the outcomes of patient care. Surveys of safety culture/climate have not knowingly been conducted in Kuwait public hospitals, nor are valid or reliable survey instruments available for this context. This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the HSOPSC (Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture) tool in Kuwaiti public hospitals in addition to constructing an optimal model to assess the level of safety climate in this setting.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingThree public hospitals in Kuwait.ParticipantsAbout 1317 healthcare professionals.Main outcome measureAn adapted and contextualised version of HSOPSC was used to conduct psychometric evaluation including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis reliability and correlation analysis.Results1317 questionnaires (87%) were returned. Psychometric evaluation, showed an optimal model of eight factors and 22 safety climate items. All items have strong factor loadings (0.42–0.86) and are theoretically related. Reliability analysis showed satisfactory results (α >0.60).ConclusionsThis is the first validation study of a standardised safety climate measure in a Kuwaiti healthcare setting. An optimal model for assessing patient safety climate was produced that mirrors other international studies and which can be used for measuring the prevailing safety climate. More importance should be attached to the psychometric fidelity of safety climate questionnaires before extending their use in other healthcare culture and contexts internationally.

The perceptions of healthcare professionals about accreditation and its impact on quality of healthcare in Kuwait: a qualitative study

“…Quality of healthcare implies that the care must be safe, effective, patient‐centred, timely, efficient, and equitable to all users of the healthcare services 1 . There has been a global emphasis in modern healthcare systems on developing a culture of patient safety in healthcare organizations 2,3 . Patient safety is defined as the lack of unintentional harm throughout the course of medical care 4 .…”

“…Several studies have evaluated the perceptions of HCPs about healthcare accreditation in some countries including the Middle Eastern countries 12,15,17,20,21,24,25 . Few studies have also assessed the safety culture in the primary and secondary healthcare settings in Kuwait 3,26,27 . However, there are no publications that have explored the healthcare accreditation process or perceptions of HCPs about accreditation in Kuwait.…”

Effectiveness of New Tools to Define an Up-to-Date Patient Safety Risk Map: A Primary Care Study Protocol

“…Several groups from the USA, Canada, Australia, Holland, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, and China, investigate patient safety, and some specifically in primary care [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. Using a methodology similar to the APEAS study in France, Michel P et al [33] observed a higher incidence of adverse effects (26 per thousand consultations per week), mostly attributed to organisational and communication problems.…”

Evaluation of Safety Climate and Service Performance of Inpatient Care Unit of Public Hospital

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