The Impact of Implementing International Safety Goals on Patient Safety Culture among Palestinian Healthcare Professionalsرسالة ماجستير

Abstract

Background: Medical care begins with risk and safety management. Good medicine prioritizes safety. IPSGs aim for affordable, high-quality healthcare. Study objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of the application of the international patient safety goals IPSGs (1-identify patients correctly, 2-improve effective communication, 3-improve the safety of high-alert medications, 4-ensure safe surgery, 5-reduce the risk of health care-associated infections, and 6-reduce the risk of patient harm resulting from falls) to improve patient safety culture in Palestine. In this regard, this study is considered one of the few that have investigated this relationship and the only study in Palestine to the extent of the researcher’s knowledge. Methods: The quantitative approach was adopted in this study; the study instrument was a structured questionnaire developed to collect the primary data; the study population was all medical staff of the hospitals operating in the West Bank, including 10 governmental and private hospitals distributed all over geographical areas of the West Bank. A convenience sampling mechanism was used, and a total of 337 individuals were chosen to represent the study sample. Results: The study reached several results, the most important of which was that the degree of implementation of the IPSGs in the Palestinian hospitals was high. The goals in order of implementation degree were "Identify patients correctly, reduce healthcare-associated infection, correct procedures and surgery, reduce the harm from falls, effective communication, and safety of the high alert medication," respectively. Furthermore, the IPSGs were implemented the most in "Al-Najjah Hospital" and the least in "Al-Isra Hospital". Additionally, the degree of PSC in Palestinian hospitals is high, highest in "Al-Najjah Hospital" and lowest in "Al-Isra Hospital". The study also found that there is a significant positive effect between the implementation of the IPSGs (1–5), and PSC in Palestinian hospitals. The study v found that goal six had no significant impact on patient safety culture, while the study recommends that more Palestinian hospitals should work towards obtaining JCI accreditation and adhere more professionally to the IPSG’s standards, as well as ensure that the techniques employed by different healthcare facilities to identify patients are consistent. Conclusion: To conclude, the study discussed the impact of IPSGs on patient safety culture in Palestinian hospitals, as perceived by healthcare professionals. The study found a significant positive effect of IPSGs on PSC in Palestinian hospitals, in line with previous research conducted in the field. However, the study also found that despite the high application of goal number 6 in Palestinian hospitals, it did not impact PSC in the eyes of healthcare professionals, possibly due to cultural factors related to the role of family members in patient care.