What attributes determine overall satisfaction in patient safety culture? An empirical study of the perceptions of hospital staff in Taiwan

This study assessed the attributes of the overall perception of (satisfaction with) patient safety culture using four categories of hospital staff, and it developed directions for the improvement of medical services. The Chinese version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (CSAQ) was sent to the staff of study hospitals through an intraorganizational online survey application. Linear regression with forward selection was used to identify the essential dimensions of the CSAQ that affect overall satisfaction with patient safety culture. For physicians, nurses, and technicians, the findings indicate that overall satisfaction is highly influenced by perceptions of management. For physicians, nurses, and administrative staff, the safety climate has a significant impact on their overall satisfaction. Additionally, for technicians, emotional exhaustion is an essential factor affecting overall satisfaction. Understanding the perceptions of patient safety culture among different medical staff in a healthcare organization could help hospital management to promote policies explicitly oriented toward improving patient safety and strategies. For front-line staff, well-trained employees and concordant teams are important; higher level managers should adopt policies to improve the working environment and ameliorate the arrangement of human resources.