Patient safety outcome as a predictor of quality care in a Saudi Public Hospital

Background: The establishment of a patient safety culture was one of the most important issues raised by the Institute of Medicine to support hospitals in improving quality and patient safety. Safety culture assessments allow healthcare organizations to get a clear understanding of those aspects of patient safety requiring urgent attention, pinpoint safety culture strengths and weaknesses, help health units identify their present obstacles affecting patient safety, and benchmark their scores with other similar organizations. Objective: to evaluate the extent to which the culture supports patient safety at a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Method: A cross section analytical observational study conducted in King Fahad Hospital at Al Madinah Al Munawarah city. Results: The staff felt less convinced concerning patient safety culture inside the institute. The greatest positive scores were obtained for teamwork within units; the safety culture composites, feedback, and communication about error, manager expectations, and actions promoting patient safety and organizational learning and continuous improvement. None of these features achieved a positive score of 75% or more as an area of strength. The rest of the aspects were negatively marked as areas for probable development, where the lowest scores were non-punitive reaction to error, Staffing, Hospital handoff and transition, communication openness, hospital management support for patient safety Conclusion: There is a strong need to improve and instigate applicable policies to improve the culture of patient safety in this hospital. The development of strong management competence to institute an environment of open consultation and administrative wisdom without blame, fear and silence regarding reporting errors will go a long way in improving patient safety culture..