Staff perceptions of patient safety culture in general surgery departments in Turkey

Background: The first step towards establishing and improving patient safety culture in hospitals is measuring patient safety culture perceptions of staff. Few studies have examined the perception of patient safety culture in general surgery departments. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate patient safety culture and patient safety grade in general surgery departments and to examine the relation between the patient safety culture and the patient safety grade. Methods: This study examined patient safety culture and patient safety grades of 124 staff in seven surgery departments of a hospital in Turkey. The staff completed the hospital survey on patient safety culture and answered questions about their professional characteristics. One-way ANOVA, Independent-samples t test, corrected chi-square test, multiple correspondence analysis and Eta co-efficient were used in statistical analyses. Results: The patient safety dimension of "teamwork within units" had the highest mean and percentage of positive responses. The "frequency of events reported" and "non-punitive response to errors" had the lowest means and percentages of positive responses. Participants with resident or nurse positions, < age 31 years, with < 6 years of professional experience, and 60 or more work hours/week, had significantly more negative perceptions of patient safety culture than other participants. Patient safety grades and the dimensions of "management support for patient safety" and "overall perceptions of patient safety" had significantly high Eta coefficients. Conclusion: Frequency of events reported and non-punitive responses to errors should be improved, and participants' characteristics should be considered at improvement efforts in general surgery departments. The dimesions with low means suggest opportunities for improvement.