Awareness and Compliance to International Patient Safety Goals among Healthcare Personnel of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Northern India

Abstract

Introduction: Advances and commitment to patient safety worldwide have grown since the late 1990s which have led to a remarkable transformation in the way patient safety is viewed. Having begun as a subject of minor academic interest, it is now embedded in most healthcare systems worldwide. The International Patient Safety Goals (IPSG) are important guidelines developed by Joint Commission International to promote safe and high-quality patient care. Patient safety is the responsibility of every healthcare personnel who is directly or indirectly involved in patient care. Aim: To determine the level of awareness amongst doctors, nurses, and technicians and their compliance to IPSG in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2021, in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Stratified sampling technique was used in determining the number of doctors, nurses, and technicians required for this study. A validated questionnaire was used to assess the awareness level of healthcare personnel to IPSG. ‘1’ mark was assigned to each correct answer and ‘0’ were awarded to wrong answers. Results: A total of 394 patient records/documents were audited for patient safety compliance. It was observed that 339 (86%) documents revealed compliance to all six IPSG. Out of the six goals of IPSG, the best compliance was observed for the 4th goal of IPSG (ensure safe surgery) for which the compliance was 100%. The lowest compliance was observed for 2nd, 5th and 6th goal (improve effective communication, reduce the risk of healthcare associated infection and reduce the patient harm resulting from fall) which was 81%, 80% and 78%, respectively. The awareness questionnaire was given to doctors (n=60), nurses (n=86) and technicians (n=76). The findings revealed that awareness was highest in nurses (84.8%) followed by doctors (81.7%) and technicians (80.2%). Conclusion: The study has found out that the awareness level of doctors, nurses, and technicians towards patient safety goals is good. Further quality improvement in this field can be achieved by conducting on the job-training, workshops, lectures, and seminars.