Abstract:
Background: In health care, the safety of patient is persistency hampered due to unsafe care
or medical errors exposing to extra human and healthcare expenses. Improving and promoting
patient safety culture in healthcare industry contributes to quality of patient care.
Objective: The aim of this study is to assess patient safety culture and associated factors
among health care workers in Gamo- Gofa zone public hospitals, Southern Ethiopia, 2018
Methods: Institution based cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted from March 19
to April 20 in three public hospitals in Gamo-Goffa zone. A total of 440 participants were
selected by using simple random sampling. Self-administered data collection method was
employed. The data was entered into epidemiological data version 3.1 and analyzed by using
statistical package for social science version 23.0. Background characteristics was regressed
on the overall perception of patient safety to determine score difference. Independent factors
associated with overall perception of patient safety was determined using multiple linear
regression analysis.
Results; Among 440 health care workers, 401 completed the study with a response rate of
91.14%. From the respondents 217 (54.1%) were males and the mean age was 32.98 (± 8.55)
years. Percent positive response for “staffing was 30.9%, non-punitive response to errors was
30.2%, communication openness was 43.1%, feedback and communication about error was
35.7%, frequency of events reported was 22.7% and handoffs and transitions was 29.4%”. In
this study, 61.8% were never reported at least one event in the last 12 months. Respondents
with different background characteristics were significantly influence the score of respondents
on the patient safety culture. Communication openness (β =0.62, CI=0.543,0.69), feedback
and communication about error (β =0.213, CI=0.140,0.286) and supervisor/manager
expectations and actions promoting patient safety (β =0.131, CI=0.027,0.234) were the most
predictive dimensions for the patient safety culture as measured by overall perception of
patient safety.
Conclusion and recommendation; There was a low status of patient safety culture among
health care workers in Gamo- Gofa zone public hospitals. So, institutions have to improve a
positive patient safety culture by considering and intervening on the prioritized factors that we
had shown as important in this study.
