Assessment of patient safety culture during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study in a tertiary a-level hospital in China
ISSN: 1754-2731
Article publication date: 24 August 2021
Issue publication date: 24 November 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The aims of this study are to (1) evaluate physicians and nurses' perspectives on patient safety culture amid the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) integrate the emotional exhaustion of physicians and nurses into an evaluation of patient safety culture to provide insights into appropriate implications for medical care.
Design/methodology/approach
Patient safety culture was assessed with the Chinese version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate the structure of the data (i.e. reliability and validity), and Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to identify relationships between safety-related dimensions.
Findings
Safety climate was strongly associated with working conditions and teamwork climate. In addition, working conditions was highly correlated with perceptions of management and job satisfaction, respectively. It is worth noting that the stress and emotional exhaustion of the physicians and nurses during this epidemic were high and needed attention.
Practical implications
For healthcare managers and practitioners, team-building activities, power of public opinions, IoT-focused service, and Employee Assistance Programs are important implications for inspiring the patient safety-oriented culture during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Originality/value
This paper considers the role of emotional state into patient safety instrument, a much less understood but equally important dimension in the field of patient safety.
Keywords
Citation
Huang, C.-H., Wang, Y., Wu, H.-H. and Yii-Ching, L. (2022), "Assessment of patient safety culture during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study in a tertiary a-level hospital in China", The TQM Journal, Vol. 34 No. 5, pp. 1189-1201. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-01-2021-0024
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited