Impact of Covid-19 on patient safety culture in hospital wards: A comparative study

Background

The current coronavirus pandemic has profoundly impacted healthcare services across all dimensions. Patient safety culture stands as a pivotal element in enhancing safety and the quality of patient care. This study aimed to compare the patient safety culture in the COVID-19 ward with that in other inpatient wards.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, 418 nurses were selected through a quota sampling method from an educational hospital in Western Iran. For data collection, the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC), developed by AHRQ, was utilized. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation (SD), as well as analytical statistics such as independent-samples t-test, Mann-Whitney test, Spearman's correlation test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. SPSS 25 was used for analysis, and the significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05.

Results

There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p > 0.05), but there were variations in the mean scores within different dimensions. The overall mean score of patient safety culture in the coronavirus ward was 117 ± 20.91, indicating a moderate to low level of patient safety culture in this group. In contrast, in other inpatient wards, the mean score was 122.66 ± 23.47.

Conclusion

In the coronavirus department, due to the heightened patient severity and increased nursing workload, the patient safety culture was rated as weak. Therefore, it demands specific attention from management to provide additional training for healthcare staff, aiming to enhance their performance in coping with stressful and unpredictable conditions.