What has been the impact of Covid-19 on Safety Culture? A case study from a large metropolitan teaching hospital
File(s)ijerph-17-07034-v3.pdf (1.68 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Covid-19 has placed an unprecedented demand on healthcare systems worldwide. A positive safety culture is associated with improved patient safety and in turn patient outcomes. To date, no study has evaluated the impact of Covid-19 on safety culture. The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) was used to investigate safety culture at a large UK healthcare trust during Covid-19. Findings were compared with baseline data from 2017. Incident reporting from the year preceding the pandemic was also examined. SAQ scores of doctors and 'other clinical staff', were relatively higher than the nursing group. During Covid-19, on univariate regression analysis, female gender, age 40-49 years, non-white ethnicity, and nursing job role were all associated with lower SAQ scores. Training and support for redeployment were associated with higher SAQ scores. On multivariate analysis, non-disclosed gender (-0.13), non-disclosed ethnicity (-0.11), nursing role (-0.15), and support (0.29) persisted to significance. A significant decrease (p<0.003) was seen in error reporting after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the first study to investigate SAQ during Covid-19. Differences in SAQ scores were observed during Covid-19 between professional groups when compared to baseline. Reductions in incident reporting were also seen. These changes may reflect perception of risk, changes in volume or nature of work. High-quality support for redeployed staff may be associated with improved safety perception during future pandemics.
Date Issued
2020-09-25
Date Acceptance
2020-09-21
Citation
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020, 17 (19), pp.1-14
ISSN
1660-4601
Publisher
MDPI AG
Start Page
1
End Page
14
Journal / Book Title
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume
17
Issue
19
Copyright Statement
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/19/7034
Subjects
Covid-19
health care professionals
patient safety
safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ)
safety culture
Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel
Betacoronavirus
Coronavirus Infections
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Organizational Culture
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral
Safety Management
United Kingdom
Humans
Pneumonia, Viral
Coronavirus Infections
Attitude of Health Personnel
Safety Management
Adult
Middle Aged
Organizational Culture
Female
Male
Pandemics
United Kingdom
Betacoronavirus
Toxicology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2020-09-25