The association between patient safety culture perceptions and patient safety management activities in dental hospital workers

Sun-Kyung Kim Jae-Woo Choi¹ Sang-Gyu Lee² Young-Dae Cho³ Eun-A Han⁴ Tae-Hyun Kim^2,*

Dental Hospital, Seoul National University
¹Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University
²Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University
³Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University
⁴School of Pharmacy, Yonsei University

Abstract

Objectives: This research was conducted to recognize dental health care employees’ awareness of patient safety culture and to examine the association between awareness of patient safety culture and patient safety activities. Methods: The subject of this research includes the dental health care employees from 11 different dental hospitals in the nation, dental offices in the 6 different general hospitals in Seoul, and 4 different private dental offices in 2014. A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 485 dental health care employees from March 17 to April 3, 2014. Multiple regression models were used in the analysis. Results: First, the dental health employees’ awareness of patient safety culture was 3.25 on average. The extent of patient safety activities was 2.75. The behavior of the supervisor/manager and the adequate explanation showed positive correlation with r=0.213 (p<0.001). The process of communication and the preventative inspection of the medical equipment showed negative correlation with r=-0.258 (p<0.001), and especially the awareness of patient safety culture and the infection control exercise showed the most significant correlation (r=0.293, p<0.001). Second, hospital environment factor of patient safety perceptions positively were related to most of patient safety management activities after controlling several covariates. Conclusions: The result of this research showed that most of the patient safety culture perceptions positively were correlated with patient safety activities. We also found that proper hospital environment, simple communication process, and positive perceptions for patient safety level were more likely to perform patient safety management activities after controlling several covariates. Improving the patient safety perceptions of dental hospital workers is an important consideration.

Figures & Tables

Table 1. General characteristics of the subjects