Comparison of Perceptions About Patient Safety Culture Between Physicians and Nurses in Public Hospitals in Vietnam

Abstract

Thi Nhi Ha Tran,1,* Quoc Thanh Pham,2,* Lien Huong Tran,3 Tuan Anh Vu,4 Minh Tu Nguyen,5 Hung Tien Pham,6 Thanh Tong Le,7 Thi Thu Ha Bui8 1Management Board, Department of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam; 2Center of Digital Health, Hanoi University of Public Health, Hanoi, Vietnam; 3Management Board, Saint Paul Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam; 4Medicine Department, Agriculture General Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam; 5Management Board, Phuc Tho hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam; 6Faculty of Clinical Medicine, Hanoi University of Public Health, Hanoi, Vietnam; 7Student, Hanoi University of Public Health, Hanoi, Vietnam; 8Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Hanoi University of Public Health, Hanoi, Vietnam*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Quoc Thanh Pham, Center of Digital health, Hanoi University of Public Health, Hanoi, 100000, Vietnam, Tel [phone], Fax [phone], Email [email protected]: Patient safety culture (PSC) is a vital component in ensuring high-quality and safe patient care. Assessment of physicians’ and nurses’ perceptions of existing hospital PSC is the first step to promoting PSC. This paper is aimed to assess physicians’ and nurses’ perceptions of PSC in 5 public general hospitals in Hanoi, Vietnam.Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 410 physicians and 824 nurses utilizing the validated Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture in an online format.Results: The composite positive physician’s perception of PSC varied from 47.8 to 89.6% with the lowest composite score of patient safety for “staffing” (47.8%) and the highest composite score for “teamwork within units” (89.6%). The composite positive responses for perception among nurses varied from 51.3 to 94.2% with the lowest composite score of patient safety for “staffing” (51.3%) and the highest composite score for “teamwork within units” (94.2%).Conclusion: The mean scores for “supervisor/manager expectations”; “staffing”, “management support for patient safety”, “teamwork across units”, “handoffs and transitions” among nurses were significantly higher than that among physicians (p< 0.05). About two-thirds of physicians and nurses reported no event in the past 12 months (62.8 and 71.7%, respectively). The nurses reported significantly higher patient grades (every good and excellent) than physicians (75% vs 67.1%, p < 0.001). Hospitals could develop and implement intervention programs to improve patient safety, including providing interventions on teamwork and communication, encouraging staff to notify incidents, and avoiding punitive responses.Keywords: patient safety culture, hospital, physicians, nurses

Keywords

• patient safety culture
• hospital
• physicians
• nurses