Clinical Study of Using Biometrics to Identify Patient and Procedure

A National Study of Patient Safety Culture and Patient Safety Goal in Chinese Hospitals

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to measure the patient safety culture and the current practice of patient safety goals in China.

METHODS

This cross-sectional survey was conducted between November 2020 and November 2021. The 12-dimensions Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire and the 14-items Survey on the Current Practice of Patient Safety Goal questionnaire were electronically distributed to 8164 healthcare providers across 26 provinces in China. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multivariate linear regression.

RESULTS

A total of 8164 surveys were received, of which 7765 were valid and analyzed. The average positive response rate for the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture survey was 69.68% (43.41%-91.54%). The percentage of positive responses in 5 dimensions (organizational learning, teamwork within units, feedback about error, management support for safety, and teamwork across units) was above the control limits, and 3 (nonpunitive response to error, staffing, and frequency of event reporting) were below the control limits. The average positive response rate for the Survey on the Current Practice of Patient Safety Goal survey was 96.11%. Patient safety culture was positively related to the current practice of patient safety goals ( r = 0.34, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study concludes that although healthcare providers in China feel positively toward patient safety culture and practicably toward patient safety goals, considerable work is still needed to promote a patient safety movement.

Design, Development, and Evaluation of the Blood Collection Management Workstation

Purpose

To design and develop a blood collection management workstation with high usability to reduce the risk of preanalytical errors and improve patient safety.

Methods

A five-phase mobile application development lifecycle model (MADLC) and experience-based co-design (EBCD) were used for design and development. Subsequently, the blood collection management workstation was evaluated using the Chinese System Usability Scale (SUS) in a general ward setting from January to June 2021.

Results

It was used on 2593 in-patients who underwent phlebotomy with 12,378 tubes being labeled. The rate of errors and meantime for blood sampling were decreased compared with the same period in the previous year. A total of 14 nurses agreed to participate in the evaluation, and the overall raw SUS score was 69.26 ± 10.39, which indicated above average results.

Conclusion

The blood collection management workstation has shown the potential to decrease errors and improve working efficiency in a clinical setting. The study also identified some weaknesses, which will be amended in the future.