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The Impact of Patient Safety Culture on Health Care Quality

The Impact of Patient Safety Culture on Health Care Quality and Employees’ Quality of Life in Hospitals

Aida Ortega, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí

Miriam Sánchez-Manzanares, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Mirko Antino, ISCTE Lisboa

Purpose: Patient safety is a central concern and goal in health-care organizations. Past research has highlighted the importance of patient safety-based culture (PSC) for improving hospitals’ effectiveness, particularly the health-care service quality. In this study, we move a step further hypothesizing positive effects of PSC on both health-care quality as rated by patients and employees’ quality of working life.
Implications: Our results support the general expectation that PSC is key to improve the quality of the health-care service delivered to patients. Additionally, hospitals’ managers should promote a PSC as a way to improve employees’ quality of life as well.

Results: Evidence from multilevel analysis shows positive and significant relationships between PSC and health-care quality. In addition, we found a cross-level effect of PSC on employees' quality of life.

Limitations: Further longitudinal research examining the potential mediation chain among PSC, health-care quality and employees' quality of life is needed. Also, it remains to be tested the impact of PSC on more objective dimensions of hospitals’ performance, including rates of adverse clinical events.

Value: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to empirically examine the double impact of PSC on health-care quality and employees’ quality of life.