Predictors and Outcomes of Patient Safety Culture: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study in the Public Tertiary Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals in Sichuan Province, China

Abstract

Background: Developing a safety culture in public traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospitals is crucial for improving patient safety initiatives. However, recent knowledge regarding patient safety culture (PSC) in healthcare is limited. This research examined nurses' reports on PSC outcomes and predictors, and the variations in patient safety grades and incidents among PSC components.

Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was undertaken in four tertiary public TCM institutions in Sichuan Province, China. A sample of 589 registered nurses (RNs) was recruited using a convenient sampling technique.

Results: The sample was gathered by distributing 1000 questionnaires via WeChat, leading to a response rate of 58.9%. Nurses reported PSC as "moderate," with strengths in teamwork and “non-punitive response to errors”, but areas needing “improvement in staffing” and “supervisor expectations/actions”. Significant correlations were found among.

Conclusions: Patient Safety Culture (PSC) components, leading to variations in patient safety grades. Factors like communication openness, feedback, hospital management support, and teamwork were predictors of PSC. Approximately half of the respondents gave high patient safety grades, with agreement on PSC items and reporting of events; significant correlations with outcomes were observed. In sum, cultivating a safety culture in public TCM hospitals is vital for enhancing patient safety initiatives.