Assessing patient safety culture in healthcare organizations: A case of applying importance-performance analysis

Abstract

Patient safety culture in healthcare organizations has received increasing attention. The current study attempts to improve and to develop better strategies regarding patient safety in healthcare organizations. The Sexton et al.'s (2006) Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) is used to evaluate the perceptions of patient safety both from hospital staff and upper management. The importance-performance analysis (IPA) was applied to identify the major strengths and weaknesses of the safety culture. The results indicate that teamwork climate and stress recognition are major strengths and should be maintained in order to enhance patient safety culture. It is worth to note that the hospital staff's stress conditions need monitoring regularly and a unique program for stress management should be developed in order to arouse a positive attitude toward patient safety. By contrast, perception of management is an essential weakness and should be addressed immediately. Hospital management should create an atmosphere in the work environment that supports open dialogue about staff's opinions non-punitively in order to cause a positive impact on patient safety.