Abstract
Patient safety is an important issue in health systems worldwide. A systematic review of previous studies on patient safety culture in Southeast Asian countries is necessary for South Korea's partnership with these countries, especially given South Korea's assistance in strengthening the health systems of these developing countries. Studies on patient safety culture in Southeast Asian countries, published in English and Thai languages, were retrieved from computerized databases using keywords through a manual search. Data extraction, quality assessment, and analyses were performed using several tools. The review included 21 studies conducted in Indonesia (n = 8), Thailand (n = 5), Malaysia (n = 3), Vietnam (n = 2), Singapore (n = 1), and the Philippines (n = 1). They were analyzed and categorized into 12 dimensions of safety culture, and differences in response rate or scores were identified compared to the mean of the dimensions. The heterogeneous of safety culture's situation among Southeast Asian countries, both in practice and in research, can be explained since patient safety policy and its application are not prioritized as much as they are in developed countries in the priority compared to the developed countries. However, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos are the priority countries for South Korea's official healthcare development assistance in the Southeast Asia region. Vietnam, for instance, is an economically transitioning country; therefore, consolidated patient safety improvement by inducing patient safety culture in the provincial and central health system as well as strengthening project formulation to contribute to health policy formation are needed for sustainable development of the partner countries' health systems. It is recommended that more evidence-based proactive project planning and implementation be conducted to integrate patient safety culture into the health systems of developing countries, toward health policy on patient safety and quality service for the attainment of sustainable development goals in South Korea's development cooperation.
Highlights
Patient safety is a global concern at all levels of healthcare systems, and its main purpose is to reduce patient risks when providing healthcare services (1)
Most studies utilized a descriptive quantitative design to identify the status of patient safety culture, and only one study focused on intervention effectiveness; interventional programs related to this issue need to expand into the health system in Southeast Asian countries
This study explored the status of patient safety culture in Southeast Asian countries to identify differences in health policy
Summary
Patient safety is a global concern at all levels of healthcare systems, and its main purpose is to reduce patient risks when providing healthcare services (1). Since adopting the resolution at the 55th World Health Assembly in 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended its member states to make systematic amendments to improve patient safety culture and healthcare quality (2). In 2006, the WHO Patient Safety committee reached a consensus to effectuate a global agenda for promoting patient safety research in developing, transitioning, and developed countries (1). The World Alliance for Patient Safety, established in 2014, considered patient safety as one of the global common tasks and identified main action areas related to it (4). Patient safety is a priority issue for healthcare systems in both developed and developing countries
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