Perception of Front-line Healthcare Providers Toward Patient Safety: A

Objective: Increasing focus on improving patient safety in healthcare organizations makes it crucial to first create a positive safety climate. The current study targeted the perceptions of front-line healthcare providers toward safety climate, and management and clinical staff commitment to patient safety. Methods: This study was conducted at Alexandria Main University Hospital, Alexandria University, Egypt, during the period from March, 2006 to December, 2006. Subjects were a convenience sample of 400 front-line clinical staff members working in the general medical and surgical wards, intensive care units (ICUs), and paramedical departments at Alexandria Main University Hospital. The "Safety Climate Survey" was used to gain information about the front-line health care providers' perceptions toward patient safety in the clinical settings. Results: The majority of participants conveyed negative perceptions toward patient safety. Physicians' perceptions about patient safety were high compared to those of nurses and paramedical personnel. Respondents perceived a significantly stronger commitment to patient safety from their managers and surrounding safety climate than from clinical personnel. Perceptions of subjects working in the general wards reflected a significantly poorer commitment to safety from their managers compared with those working in the ICUs and paramedical departments. Moreover, negative correlations were found between subjects' years of experience and perceptions about patient safety climate and management commitment to patient safety. Conclusion: Achieving an acceptable standard of patient safety requires that all healthcare settings develop patient safety systems that include both a positive culture of safety and organizational support for safety processes. This will not be possible unless the perceptions of the front-line health care providers and management are positively managed and directed