Patient safety issues and concerns in Bhutan's healthcare system: a qualitative exploratory descriptive study

R425 first year student nurses 'experience of encounters with death of a patient during clinical placement

BACKGROUND

In the course of caring, nurses often experience the death of patients, and this experience has an effect on the nurse. Every nurse responds to this experience in a different way, and it can be either a negative emotional response, or a positive emotional response. As part of their curriculum, R425 first-year student nurses are placed in clinical facilities to acquire competency in nursing skills, and here they may be exposed to patients dying. R425 is a South African Nursing Council regulation relating to the approval of and the minimum requirements for the education and training of a nurse (General, Psychiatric, and Community) and Midwife, leading to registration. End-of-life care can be rewarding, yet emotionally and psychologically challenging. Little is known about R425 first-year student nurses' experiences of patients dying while being cared for by nurses on clinical placement. The study, therefore, explored and describes R425 first-year student nurses' experiences of the death of a patient during clinical placement.

METHOD

A qualitative exploratory descriptive and contextual research design was adopted, and a purposive, nonprobability sampling approach applied. Data were collected through unstructured individual interviews with 15 R425 first-year student nurses. Data were analysed using content analysis.

RESULTS

Four themes emerged, namely, knowledge, psychological trauma, low self-esteem, and nutritional disorders, and subthemes were identified. Results reveal both negative and positive responses to encountering the death of patients, with more negative responses, and fewer positive responses.

CONCLUSION

Results show that first-year student nurses struggle to cope with the death of a patient, mainly because they lack knowledge and the skills required to provide end-of-life nursing. It is the requirement for student nurses to be competent in a skill, 'last office', which involves laying out of a dead person. Such skill can be deferred in the first year of study, and can only be introduced at a later stage, either in third year or fourth year of study, when students are better equipped with knowledge and skills relating to dealing with death. There is a need to review the curriculum of R425 first-year student nurses, so that outcomes such as death and dying can be introduced in the third or fourth year of study.

Australian emergency nurses' experiences of working with personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a need to understand the challenges associated with wearing Personal protective Equipment (PPE). The aim in this study was to explore emergency nurses' experiences early in the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and the impact of PPE use on their practice.

METHODS

An explorative descriptive qualitative study was conducted between January 2022 and April 2022. Eighteen emergency nurses and six leaders participated. Semi-structured interviews (n = 21) and one focus group were conducted. Interview transcripts were analysed using Braun and Clarke's framework.

RESULTS

Two major themes were identified. The first theme was: (1) The shifting ground of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Associated sub-themes were: i) What's the go with PPE today? ii) In the beginning we were scrambling for masks; iii) Emergency is the true frontline. The second theme was: (2) Physical and emotional impacts of emergency nursing work. Sub-themes were: (i) Facing the fear of exposure; (ii) By the end of the shift I am just absolutely spent; iii) Discomfort of wearing PPE impacts on compliance.

CONCLUSIONS

Healthcare leaders need to secure PPE supply chains and evaluate the effectiveness and side-effects of different PPE designs to minimise occupational harms associated with prolonged PPE use.

Registered nurses' experiences regarding operational factors influencing the implementation of HIV care services in the mobile health clinics of eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal

BACKGROUND

Registered nurses working in the mobile health clinics (MHCs) play an important role in enabling HIV care access to populations in remote areas through Nurse Initiated Antiretroviral Therapy program (NIMART).

AIM

To explore and describe the nurses' experiences regarding operational factors influencing the implementation of HIV care services in the mobile health clinics (MHCs) of eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu Natal.

METHODS

Qualitative Exploratory Descriptive (QED) method was used after permission was granted from North-West University Human Research Ethics Committee provincial and local health authorities. Data saturation informed sample size of thirteen MHCs nurses were purposefully sampled to participate. Audio-recorded, semi-structured, online, one-on-one interviews guided by open-ended questions were done for data collection, and including demographic profile. The interview transcripts were analysed using Atlas-TI and SPSS descriptive statistics was used for demographics.

RESULTS

Eleven subthemes emerged under patient-related, nurse-related, and organisational-related themes which influence the operational factors in the MHCs, namely: patient defaulting treatment, lack of privacy, unavailability of phones, stressful and demotivating MHCs, nurses feel unsafe, lack of support from management, lack of budget, unavailability of computers, shortage of medical equipment, shortage of nursing staff and absence of data capturers.

CONCLUSION

Structured contextual coaching and support program for nurses is imperative to ensure effective and strengthened operations in MHCs, further supported by improvement in human resource for health allocation for MHCs in light of expanding health care programs CONTRIBUTIONS: Evaluation of health care programmes, and human resource for health quality improvement needs in the clinical practice of HIV care of MHCs nurses which advocate for specific policy formulations.

Effectiveness of interprofessional education for medical and nursing professionals and students on interprofessional educational outcomes: A systematic review

AIM AND BACKGROUND

Patient safety is a global health priority as unsafe care is a principal cause of death and disability. Ineffective interprofessional communication and collaboration among nursing and medical professionals and students contribute to unsafe practices. Interprofessional education provides opportunities to strengthen nurse-physician collaboration and enhance patient care. However, there is inconclusive evidence regarding interprofessional education effectiveness. This review aims to systematically evaluate interprofessional education effectiveness for nursing and medical professionals and students on interprofessional educational outcomes (interprofessional attitudes, perceptions, skills, knowledge, behaviours, and organisational and patient outcomes).

DESIGN AND METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycInfo, Web of Science were last searched on 13 January 2022. This review included published and unpublished randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental and mixed-method studies in English examining interprofessional education outcomes among nursing and medical professionals and students. Two reviewers independently appraised studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools and extracted data using a modified Joanna Briggs Institute data extraction form. Narrative synthesis was conducted instead of meta-analysis since majority of the included studies had quasi-experimental design, and various interventions and outcomes. Certainty of evidence was appraised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations tool.

RESULTS

This review included 15 studies involving 1185 participants. Improvements were reported in each interprofessional educational outcome after interprofessional education. High-fidelity simulation with multiple scenarios, standardised communication tools, didactic and active learning methods, theoretical frameworks, debriefing sessions and provider training enhanced interprofessional education effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

Effectiveness of interprofessional education for nursing and medical professionals and students was demonstrated since improvements were observed for each interprofessional educational outcome. This systematic review addressed literature gaps, demonstrated effectiveness of interprofessional education in clinical practice and academic curricula and provided evidence-based insights that future research can consider to enhance global patient safety standards for optimal patient outcomes and quality of healthcare. Caution is advised in interpreting findings due to 'very low' evidence certainty and limited studies. More high-quality randomised controlled trials with longitudinal designs are needed.

Enhancing Patient Safety Culture in Hospitals

Patient safety has become a top priority for healthcare organizations. A better patient safety environment is associated with a lower probability of significant complications. Training programmers is critical to promoting patient safety and minimizing misunderstandings. The quality, performance, and productivity of the healthcare industry can be dramatically improved by changing the patient safety atmosphere operating within the hospital sector. Hospitals can significantly reduce medical errors and adverse events by implementing the program and training programmers to prioritize patient safety. This will improve patient outcomes and increase efficiency and effectiveness. Creating a patient safety culture within hospitals will contribute to a higher standard of care and improved overall performance in the healthcare industry. Hospitals can identify systemic problems and implement proactive measures to prevent future incidents by creating an environment in which healthcare professionals feel comfortable reporting errors. A patient safety culture encourages collaboration and open communication among healthcare teams leading to more effective and coordinated care.

Assessment of competencies in the prevention and control of chronic diseases and their influencing factors among health assistants in Bhutan: a cross-sectional study

Background

The morbidity and mortality of chronic diseases are increasing worldwide. The literature confirms that the prevention and control of chronic disease necessitates a robust primary health care system with a competent health care workforce. Studies on competencies in the prevention and control of chronic diseases and their determinants among health assistants (HAs) in Bhutan are scarce. This cross-sectional survey aimed to examine the level of competencies and investigate the factors influencing competencies in the prevention and control of chronic diseases among HAs.

Methods

The sample consisted of 330 HAs who were recruited through simple random sampling. A validated and reliable self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data through a web-based Google Form. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis.

Results

The findings showed that the mean summed competency score was 191 (SD = 25.7). Approximately 96% of the participants perceived that they were competent in the prevention and control of chronic diseases. The multiple regression analysis indicated that work environment (β = 0.473), sex (β = 0.126), location of the health facility (β = − 0.114), and organizational support (β = 0.117) affected competencies in the prevention and control of chronic diseases by 31.4% with statistical significance (R² = 0.314) (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

This study suggested that improving the number of staff and availability of learning resources, considering training for both sexes, especially female primary health care workers, enhancing mentorship and supervision in rural areas, and establishing the recognition and encouragement of primary health care workers are needed.

Status of patient safety in selected Ghanaian hospitals: a national cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Safety is one of the dimensions of healthcare quality and is core to achieving universal health coverage and healthcare delivery worldwide. In Ghana, the status of patient safety in the last 7 years has remained unknown. Therefore, this study aims to assess the patient safety status in selected hospitals in Ghana.

METHODS

Using the WHO Patient Safety Long Form, a mixed methodology was used to assess the patient safety status in 27 hospitals in Ghana. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and axial codes for thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The average national patient safety score was high (85%). However, there were variations in the performance of the hospitals across the WHO patient safety action areas. Knowledge and learning in patient safety (97%) was the highest-rated patient safety action area. Patient safety surveillance, patient safety funding, patient safety partnerships and national patient safety policy had mean scores lower than the national average score (85%). Less than half (42%) of the hospitals had a dedicated budget for patient safety activities. The means of continuous education for health professionals include clinical sessions, and in-service training, while the system of clinical audits in the hospitals were maternal mortality, perinatal mortality, stillbirth and general mortality audits. The hospitals use posters, leaflets, public address systems and health education sessions to inform patients about their rights. Patient safety issues are reported through suggestion boxes, designated desks and the use of contacts of core management staff.

CONCLUSION

The current patient safety status in the hospitals was generally good, with the highest score in the knowledge and learning in the patient safety domain. Patient safety surveillance was identified as the weakest action area. The findings of this study will form the scientific basis for initiating the development of a national patient safety policy in Ghana. This is crucial for ensuring resilient and sustainable health systems that guarantee safer care to all patients in Ghana.

An Intervention to Optimize Attitudes Toward Adverse Events Reporting Among Tunisian Critical Care Nurses

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed at evaluating the impact of a combined-strategies intervention on ICUs nurses' attitudes toward AE reporting.

METHODS

We conducted a quasi-experimental study from January to October 2020 which consisted of an intervention to improve attitudes toward incident reporting among nurses working in 10 intensive care units at a university hospital using the Reporting of Clinical Adverse Events Scale. The intervention consisted of a 2-hour educational presentation for nurse unit managers and a 30-minute in-units educational training for intensive care unit nurses, which encompassed technical aspects of reporting, the reporting process, a nonpunitive environment, and the importance of submitting reports. The educational presentation was reinforced with distributing posters and brochures and biweekly patient safety rounds that inquired about events, reinforced education, and provided follow-up to incident reports.

RESULTS

All dimensions were significantly improved. Score increased from 27.4% to 42.1% ( P < 0.01) for perceived blame, from 35.2% to 52.5% for perceived criteria for identifying events that should be reported ( P < 0.01), from 34.3% to 46% for perceptions of colleagues' expectations ( P = 0.04), from 37.1% to 51.4% for perceived benefits of reporting ( P = 0.01), and from 29.2% to 51.4% for perceived clarity of reporting procedures ( P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions using a combination of several strategies such as training, safety round, and messaging can be effective and should be considered by hospitals attempting to increase adverse events reporting. Results reinforce the assumption that a nonpunitive environment and the resulting feeling of safety and reassurance are crucial to foster the submission of reports.

Nurses' Perceptions of Recommended Fall Prevention Strategies: A Rapid Review

BACKGROUND

Limited studies have synthesized evidence on nurses' perceptions of recommended fall prevention strategies and potential differences between those and the practiced strategies.

PURPOSE

To synthesize evidence about nurses' perceptions of recommended fall prevention strategies for hospitalized adults.

METHODS

Using PubMed, 50 records underwent abstract and full-text screening, and 10 studies were retained. Narrative synthesis was conducted to identify common themes across studies. Quality assessment was not performed.

RESULTS

Nurses are aware of effective fall prevention strategies but identified unit-level barriers and facilitators to implementing these in their practice. Unit culture and policies, educational offerings, nursing interventions, and style of communication and collaboration were seen to influence fall prevention.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses recognize falls as a multifactorial issue suggesting that prevention efforts be tailored to the unit and involve all employees. We recommend that future research emphasize identifying and understanding the combination of factors that produce successful unit-level fall prevention strategies.

Patient Safety, Clinical Microbiology, and Collaborative Healthcare

“Right to health” is a universal right inclusive of a culture of safety. This review aims to highlight how clinical microbiology laboratories can contribute to patient safety. They can bring down medical errors through clinical collaboration and quality control. Timely and accurate inputs from microbiology laboratory help in clinical correlation and aid in safe patient care. Through internet search, using keywords such as “medical errors” and “quality assurance,” global burden of medical errors has been compiled. References have been taken from guidelines and documents of standard national and international agencies, systematic reviews, observational studies, retrospective analyses, meta-analyses, health bulletins and reports, and personal views. Safety in healthcare should lay emphasis on prevention, reporting, analysis, and correction of medical errors. If not recorded, medical errors are regarded as occasional or chance events. Global data show adverse events are as high as 10% among hospitalized patients, and approximately two-thirds of these are reported from low- to middle-income countries (LMICs). This includes errors in laboratories as well. Clinical microbiology can impact patient safety when practiced properly with an aim to detect, control, and prevent infections at the earliest. It is a science that integrates a tripartite relationship between the patient, clinician, and a microbiology specialist. Through collaborative healthcare, all stakeholders benefit by understanding common errors and mitigate them through quality management. However, errors tend to happen despite standardization and streamlining all processes. The aim should be to minimize them, have fair documentation, and learn from mistakes to avoid repetition. Local targets should be set and then extended to meet national and global benchmarks.

Patient Safety Education for Clinical Students: A Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND: Patient safety education has been studied from diverse views, from academic to the professional level, yet research on its effective learning methods remain limited. AIM: This study investigated the implementation of patient safety in the hospital, the significance of patient safety education for students, and the search for effective practical learning methods. METHODS: It employs a systematic review of articles from 2011 to 2021. RESULTS: The research result indicates that patient safety implementation in the hospitals and patient safety education are currently significant trends in search of effective learning methods. Several studies denote that E-Learning and videos on patient safety can effectively increase the students’ knowledge, skill, and attitude. CONCLUSION: With the limitations of scientific writing related to patient safety learning in clinical learners, it is expected that this study can contribute to the development of patient safety teaching in the future. Future research may further examine and analyze the effect of instructional videos in detail.

Online teaching and learning through the students' eyes - Uncertainty through the COVID-19 lockdown: A qualitative case study in Gauteng province, South Africa

INTRODUCTION

In South Africa, online learning has been adopted to maintain the momentum of learning. The need for social distancing has resulted in the cancellation of many face-to-face activities that comprised the curriculum within higher education. This study explored the experiences of undergraduate diagnostic radiography students of online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

METHODS

A qualitative case study design was adopted. Purposive sampling was employed to select undergraduate diagnostic radiography students at the study institution. One-on-one online interviews were audio recorded with fourteen (n = 14) students from second to fourth year and were transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed through content analysis.

RESULTS

Two main themes emerged: (1) Maintaining balance in the new 'normal'; (2) Enablers for an inclusive learning environment. The change in the method of teaching has highlighted the requirements for adequate teaching and learning. The students in the study were of the view that they deserve an equal opportunity to quality online education.

CONCLUSION

The study reveals that the participants were concerned about the transition from face-to-face lectures to the online system. They felt they were required to adjust without adequate consideration of the prerequisites for the process, such as devices and data availability.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Radiography is both technical and theoretical. Therefore, the integration of online teaching and learning could be used to enhance digital literacy within the South African context.

Awareness and understanding among patients about patient safety in India: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study

Background

There is a dearth of studies from India evaluating the awareness of patient safety. This study was performed to gain insight into the Indian patients’ awareness about patient safety and evaluate their willingness in promoting the same.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, online interactive sessions pertaining to patient safety and patient safety culture were arranged by clinical pharmacologists for 800 urban patients post-discharge from a tertiary care hospital in India. A validated questionnaire was used, and the responses were analysed using descriptive statistics.

Results

A total of 635 patients [mean age, 43.2  ±  10.3 years; 385 (60.6%) males] responded. A total of 93.4% of the patients were aware of the term “patient safety” and 35.3% faced situations where they felt that patient safety was compromised. Of these patients, 64.3% reported to higher authorities when faced with such situations, while the remaining either ignored the issue or had no idea about how to deal with the same. A total of 99.2% of the patients never participated in any patient safety program; nevertheless, 94.5% of them were willing to participate in the same. Accessibility to information about patient care was deemed essential by 58.3% of the patients.

Conclusions

Although the overall awareness about patient safety among urban Indian patients is high, there is a lack of awareness about ways of dealing with patient safety issues. Given the high level of interest in participating in patient safety programs, such programs should routinely include patients for optimizing the chances for safer provision of health care.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Infection Control and Waste Management among Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Bhutan, 2019: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey

Background

In Bhutan, Traditional Medicine (TM) is a part of the government-sponsored free healthcare system and Traditional Medicine Units (TMUs) are colocated with allopathic hospitals. Prevention of healthcare-associated infections and patient safety must apply to all institutionalized healthcare settings including TMUs. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice of TM practitioners in Bhutan in the field of infection control and waste management practices.

Methods

This was a descriptive study among TM practitioners selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a structured pro forma and entered in EpiData 3.1 and analyzed in STATA 13.1.

Results

There were 132 respondents (response rate 98%). The majority (64%) knew the seven steps of handwashing but their knowledge of WHO's Five Moments for Handwashing was poor, especially handwashing after aseptic procedures (17%) and handwashing after touching patient surroundings (5%). Handwashing before palpation of the pulse (37%) and using gloves while dispensing medicines (9%) were poor; but the proportions of handwashing before performing moxibustion (96%), correct disposal of sharps (84%), and disinfection of cupping sets (78%) were high. The majority of participants hold a positive attitude towards the adoption of infection control and waste management practices for the benefit of patients. Only 23% had received preservice and 44% had received in-service training on infection control.

Conclusions

The knowledge and practices of infection control and waste management are optimal only in select domains of practice. The practitioners hold a positive attitude towards the adoption of infection control and waste management standards.

Patient safety culture and associated factors among health care professionals at public hospitals in Dessie town, north east Ethiopia, 2019

Introduction

Patient safety culture is defined as the attitudes, perceptions, and values that staffs share within an organization related to patient safety. The safety of health care is now a major global concern. It is likely that millions of people suffer disabling injuries or death directly related to medical care. Particularly in developing and transitional countries, patient harm is a global public health problem. The objective of the study is to assess patient safety culture and associated factors among health care professionals working in public hospitals in Dessie town, North East Ethiopia, 2019.

Methods

Facility based quantitative study was employed from March 15 –April 30, 2019 in public hospitals in Dessie town. Four hundred and twenty two health care professionals were recruited to complete a structured pretested self-administered questionnaire. The data was cleaned, coded and entered in to Epi Info-7 and exported to SPSS version 20. Data was further analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Variables with P value of less than 0.05 in multivariate analysis were declared as statistically significant at 95% CI.

Results

Of the 422 recruited a total of 411 participants completed the survey with a response rate of 97.4%. Close to half (184(44.8%)) of the participants indicated good patient safety culture. Good patient safety culture was positively associated with working in primary hospital (AOR = 2.56, 95% CI = 1.56, 4.21). On the other hand, good patient safety culture was negatively associated with health professional’s age between 25–34 year (AOR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.08–0.74) and working in Pediatrics ward (AOR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.17–0.9) and in emergency ward (AOR = O.25, 95%CI = 0.09–0.67).

Conclusion

The overall level of patient safety culture was under 50%. Good patient safety culture had positive association with working in primary hospital and negative association with professionals’ age between 25–29 year, 30–34 year and working in pediatrics and emergency ward. Implementing actions that support all dimensions of safety culture should be promoted at all levels of hospitals.

Barriers to Effective Cancer Pain Management in Home Setting: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Pain is one of the most disturbing and distressing symptoms experienced by cancer patients, and it is the most stressful factor affecting all aspects of patients and their families' lives. Understanding the barriers to effective cancer pain management in home setting is essential for designing programs to improve the quality of the patients and their families' lives.

AIM

Exploring family caregivers' and cancer patients' experiences of barriers to pain management at home.

DESIGN

Qualitative exploratory descriptive study.

SETTING/PARTICIPANTS

Twenty patients and 32 family caregivers were recruited from oncology wards and palliative medicine clinics in hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences.

METHOD

In-depth interviews were conducted with each participant, and audio-recorded and transcribed interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Ten major themes emerged regarding barriers to cancer pain management in home setting: "Drug dependence and addiction," "Malingering," "Negative attitudes towards opioid analgesia," "Concealing pain," "Painful comorbidities," "Conflict in family members' perspectives," "Inaccessibility of pain relief facilities," "Poor skill and knowledge," "Patients' feelings of depression and hopelessness," and "Caregiver burden."

CONCLUSION

The study documented the need for supportive and educational programs for cancer patients and their family caregivers in an attempt to improve the effectiveness of pain managment and cancer patients' quality of life.

Perceived Roles of Bhutanese Health Care Professionals in Improving Patient Safety: A Qualitative Exploratory Descriptive Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Patient safety is a vital component of high quality health care and all health care professionals have a responsibility for ensuring the delivery of safe care to patients. However, little is known about how Bhutanese health care professionals perceive their roles in improving patient safety. This study aimed to explore how Bhutanese health care professionals, educators, managers, and policy makers perceived their roles in improving patient safety.

METHODS

Undertaken as a naturalistic inquiry using a qualitative exploratory descriptive research approach, a criterion-based stratified purposive sample of 94 health care professionals and managers from the Ministry of Health, a training institute, and 3 levels of hospitals were interviewed. All interview data were analyzed using content and thematic analysis strategies.

RESULTS

Data analysis identified 4 broad themes. Health care professionals' perceived role in safety and quality included formulating and implementing patient safety rules; management and administration of units and hospitals; patient assessment and management; and setting professional norms (including norms about peer influence and patient care/interaction).

CONCLUSION

The findings revealed that Bhutanese health care professionals were aware of their roles in improving patient safety processes and practices, and providing interprofessional education or training to all levels of health care professionals could help improve communication and patient safety in the Bhutanese health care system.

Patient safety policies, guidelines, and protocols in Bhutan

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to explore what policies and guidelines related to patient safety have been developed and operationalized in the Bhutanese healthcare system.

METHODS

The study was conducted as a qualitative exploratory descriptive inquiry using policy and guidelines document review/analysis. Quality care and patient safety policy and guidelines documents were manually collected from the Ministry of Health and three different levels of hospitals (national referral, regional referral, and district hospitals) and reviewed. All data were analyzed using content analysis strategies, and their presentation organized according to the policy statement and/or clause/excerpts on patient safety.

RESULTS

The review revealed that the policy and guidance documents implemented in the Bhutanese healthcare system were developed as a minimum standard for quality assurance, not those of patient safety as such.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study reveal that Bhutan is in the middle of a paradigm shift-shifting from a conventional approach of quality assurance to a new paradigm of patient safety. The evidence obtained from this study suggests that the development of high-quality guidance documents is important to improve patient safety in the Bhutanese healthcare system.

Patient safety issues and concerns in Bhutan's healthcare system: a qualitative exploratory descriptive study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate what healthcare professionals perceived and experienced as key patient safety concerns in Bhutan's healthcare system.

DESIGN

Qualitative exploratory descriptive inquiry.

SETTINGS

Three different levels of hospitals, a training institute and the Ministry of Health, Bhutan.

PARTICIPANTS

In total, 140 healthcare professionals and managers.

METHODS

Narrative data were collected via conversational in-depth interviews and Nominal Group Meetings. All data were subsequently analysed using thematic analysis strategies.

RESULTS

The data revealed that medication errors, healthcare-associated infections, diagnostic errors, surgical errors and postoperative complications, laboratory/blood testing errors, falls, patient identification and communication errors were perceived as common patient safety concerns. Human and system factors were identified as contributing to these concerns. Instituting clinical governance, developing and improving the physical infrastructure of hospitals, providing necessary human resources, ensuring staff receive patient safety education and promoting 'good' communication and information systems were, in turn, all identified as processes and strategies critical to improving patient safety in the Bhutanese healthcare system.

CONCLUSION

Patient safety concerns described by participants in this study were commensurate with those identified in other low and middle-income countries. In order to redress these concerns, the findings of this study suggest that in the Bhutanese context patient safety needs to be conceptualised and prioritised.