Patient safety culture in primary healthcare centers in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia (15 February 2022)

Summary

This study in Risk Management and Healthcare Policy aimed to explore healthcare workers’ perceptions of patient safety culture at primary healthcare centres in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and the factors that influence them. It also aimed to identify the challenges of adopting patient safety culture in these centres.

The study findings highlight a number of areas for improvement, particularly in relation to event reporting, non-punitive responses, and openness in communication. The authors highlight that error reporting should not just be considered a means of learning from mistakes, but should also be considered the first step towards preventing injury and improving patient safety. They highlight the need to eliminate three crucial elements associated with errors - blame, fear, and silence - in order to build a safety culture.