Awareness, Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Patient Safety Culture Among Care Providers and Managers in a Tertiary Health Institution in Nigeria

The safety of patients or clients remains a priority public health issue worldwide. Patient safety culture (PSC) is a core quality assurance strategy in healthcare delivery systems. Therefore, it is crucial for key stakeholders in the healthcare setting to perceive the concept. The present study determined the awareness,  level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of PSC among care providers and managers in a tertiary health facility in Nigeria. This descriptive survey was carried out within June to November in 2016. Data collection was conducted via a self-administered structured questionnaire survey (QS), focus group discussions (FGD), and key informant interviews (KII). Stratified and convenient sampling techniques were used for QS, FGD, and KII, respectively. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22), and associations were determined through the Chi-square test and t-test. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The awareness, attitude, and practice of PSC were slightly above average. The knowledge of the availability of PSC unit affected the scores of 3 of the 12 studied PSC composites, namely Feedback and communication about the error, Nonpunitive response to error, and Management support (p <0.05). The overall PSC level of the care providers and managers was reported as 62.3%. The rate of PSC was within the range of 28-72% based on FGD. According to KII, the awareness and practice of PSC were reported as 100% and 60%, respectively. Based on the obtained results of the current study, it was apparently demonstrated the low awareness, attitude, and practice of PSC resulting in the low functionality of PSC. Therefore, it is required to take comprehensive educational and institutional measures aiming at the improvement of positive PSC. Management commitment to safety is a key element in this regard.