Abstract

Background and Purpose: The global emphasis on fostering a patient safety culture is a priority for many countries, including those in the Middle East. Hospitals worldwide are dedicated to enhancing the quality of patient care and safety, with an increasing recognition by hospital management of the role played by a robust patient safety culture. This study compares intensive care nurses’ perceptions of patient safety culture and adverse events. Method: A comparative study was conducted in the intensive care units (ICUs) of four private and teaching hospitals utilizing The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC)-two in Riyadh and two in Cairo. Nonprobability sampling was employed across all registered nurses working in ICUs. Results: The study revealed that the highest percentage of errors occurred in patients’ acquired infections (61.5%), while the lowest percentage was associated with patients’ falls (7.8%). The strengths of the composites were continuous organizational learning improvement (85.9%) and management support for patient safety (81.4%). Areas for improvement were identified in composites such as handoffs and transitions (40.3%) and teamwork across units (49.5%). Notably, nurses in Cairo hospitals reported a higher frequency of adverse events compared to their counterparts in Riyadh hospitals. Implications for practice: The views of nurses working in both cities emphasized the importance of organizational learning to achieve ongoing improvement, teamwork within specific units, and managerial backing for ensuring patient safety. Moreover, the research emphasized the necessity for additional improvements in collaboration between different units, as well as in the processes of handoffs and transitions.

Keywords

adverse events, intensive care nurses, patient safety, Egypt, Saudi Arabia