RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADVERSE EVENTS PREVALENCE, PATIENT SAFETY CULTURE AND PATIENT SAFETY PERCEPTION IN A SINGLE SAMPLE OF PATIENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackgroundFostering the understanding of the relationship between the prevalence of adverse events (AEP), the patient safety culture of healthcare professionals (PSC) and patient safety perception (PSP) could be an important step to operationalizing patient safety through an integration of different perspectives.ObjectiveTo assess the relationship between AE Prevalence, Patient Safety Culture and Patient Safety Perception.MethodCross-sectional, ex post facto comparative study on a single sample of patients. The prevalence and severity of adverse events were measured through a review of medical records (using the Modular Review Form (MRF2)). Healthcare professional patient safety culture was determined using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) and patients’ perception of safety through the Hospital Care Safety Perceptions Questionnaire (HCSPQ). Correlation tests were used to compare the three dimensions.Population556 medical records and patients were studied for the prevalence and patient safety perception study, and 397 of the healthcare providers involved in the care of these patients were surveyed for the patient safety culture study, at 2 public and 2 private hospitals.ResultsAn inverse association was observed between AE prevalence and its severity and Patient Safety Culture Index (rho=-0.8) and Patient Safety Perception Index (rho=-0.6). No association was identified between Patient Safety Culture and Patient Safety Perception (rho=0.0001). No statistical differences were identified by hospital type.ConclusionsThe joint analysis of AEP, PSC and PSP, in the same sample, offers an interesting and useful perspective on the associations between the variables studied; no correlation pattern was observed between the variables.