PATIENT SAFETY CULTURE IN PERSPECTIVE OF MILLENNIALS: CASE STUDY IN A MALAYSIAN PRIVATE HOSPITAL

Abstract

This case study investigated the nature of patient safety culture in a Malaysian private hospital. This was accomplished by studying the general perception of patient safety with a survey questionnaire and insights from open comments. The Donabedian framework of quality was used to further analyse the nature of patient safety culture from the perspective of millennials. Findings from the interviews were triangulated with data from observations and document reviews, which were interpreted based on the High Reliability Organisation (HRO) principles. They revealed that the structures and concerns in the practice environment regard the artificial intelligence (AI) system, human capital management, and manpower, while processes such as communication, teamwork and collaboration issues, and training and improvements are vital. Patient safety culture outcomes which depend on structures and processes indicated the need for improvements in the frequency of events reported. The main implication of this study is that to raise standards of care to those in an HRO and in a complex care environment, a paradigm shift from current reactive standards towards a more proactive safety system, based on flexibility and stability, would be necessary. This requires a strong case organisation to note appropriate structures and processes affecting eventual outcomes.