Patient Safety Culture in Bhutan

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the patient safety culture across hospitals in Bhutan. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from July to August 2022 to assess the patient safety culture among Bhutanese healthcare professionals using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) questionnaires. The study enrolled 1,004 healthcare professionals from 25 hospitals, and the data were analysed using statistical software. Overall, 61.3% of respondents rated patient safety practices in Bhutan as excellent or very good, 34.4% as acceptable, and 4.0% as failing or poor. The dimensions of patient safety culture that received the highest rating were teamwork within units, and the lowest-rated dimension was handoffs and transitions. The study showed that patient safety culture exists in Bhutanese hospitals; however, there is room for further improvement to ensure an optimal working environment and safe healthcare service delivery. Among the 12 patient safety culture dimensions evaluated, event reporting, communication openness and handoffs and transitions require immediate attention to improve patient safety practices in hospitals. Prioritising and implementing patient safety practices by both administrators and healthcare professionals are critical in establishing an optimal patient safety culture in our hospitals.