Comparing patient safety culture in primary, secondary and tertiary hospitals in Ghana.

Objective: This study compared patient safety culture among health professionals in tertiary, secondary and primary hospitals.

Design: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among thirteen primary, secondary and tertiary hospitals in Ghana. A structured questionnaire was administered to 1,656 health professionals. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).

Setting: This study was conducted in the Greater Accra, Bono and Upper East regions, representing the southern, middle and northern ecological zones, respectively.

Participants: Health professionals.

Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was patient safety culture.

Results: Five patient safety culture dimensions were rated moderate positive response, while five were rated high positive response. We found a statistically significant difference in patient safety culture across primary, secondary and tertiary hospitals ( < 0.05). For instance, the mean difference between tertiary and secondary hospitals was statistically significant ( < 0.05). Additionally, the mean difference between tertiary and primary hospitals was statistically significant ( < 0.05). There was also a significant difference in the means between secondary and primary hospitals ( < 0.05).

Conclusion: This study has demonstrated a variation in patient safety culture across Ghana's tertiary, secondary and primary hospitals. Therefore, healthcare managers and professionals should prioritise patient safety.

Funding: This work was supported by the University of Ghana [UGRF/13/MDG-001/2019-2020].