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Abstract

Patient safety is one of the most important and essential elements of quality in healthcare setting. A report by the Medial Council of India indicates that almost 5.2 million injuries happen every year due to medical errors and adverse events. Recent evidences suggest that majority of these errors and harm associated can be prevented by creating a culture of patient safety. The aim of the present study was to determine patient safety culture among nurses workingin a tertiary hospital, South India. Using a descriptive cross sectional survey design, 252 nurses were asked to complete hospital survey on patient safety culture (Response rate -84%). Analysis revealed that majority (92.8%) were working for less than 5 years in the current hospital and more than half of them (59.5%) had total professional experience between 1-5years. Safety dimensions with more than 50% positivity were identified and these were;organizational learning, teamwork within units, and feedback & communication  about error with the following percentages of positivity 86.5%, 80.95 %and 58.73% respectively. The dimensions with less than 25% positivity were non-punitive response to errors (13.63) and communication openness (21.83). The study recommends focusing on building leadership capacity that support open communication, blame free environment,and interdepartmental collaboration to nurture patient safety culture in hospitals.

Keywords: Medical errors, Harm, Adverse events, Patient safety culture. 

Corresponding Author : Ramya K.R., Assistant Professor, Jubilee Mission College of Nursing and Lead Quality, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur, Kerala 680005, India.