Patient Safety in Family Medicine through the Eyes of People with Chronic Conditions in Slovenia.

Abstract

Introduction: Patient safety is a key dimension of healthcare quality, although most research has focused on hospital settings. This study analysed patient-reported experiences related to safety in Slovenian family medicine using data from the OECD PaRIS survey.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 among 70 family medicine practices in Slovenia. Data were collected using two validated questionnaires: the PaRIS Primary Care Patient Questionnaire (PaRIS-PQ) and the Primary Care Practice Questionnaire (PaRIS-PCPQ). Items Q69-Q75 of the PaRIS-PQ were analysed to assess experiences related to the use of medicines, medication review, repetition of information, adverse events, encouragement to express concerns, and barriers to care. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and binary logistic regression were used in data analysis.

Results: Respondents with chronic conditions totalled 2,133 (mean age 63.1 ± 10.9 years; 62.7% female). Polypharmacy (≥ 3 medications) occurred in 27% of respondents; only 19.7% had received a medication review in the previous 12 months. Seventeen percent reported experiencing at least one adverse event. Significant predictors of reported adverse events included repeated requests for personal medical information (p < 0.001), lack of encouragement to express concerns (p = 0.008), and transport barriers to accessing care (p = 0.024). The regression model explained a small proportion of the variance (Nagelkerke R² = 0.02).

Conclusions: Patient safety in Slovenian family medicine shows both strengths and areas requiring improvement. Communication processes, access barriers, and coordination of information appear to play an important role in perceived safety. Strengthening medication review practices and improving digital interoperability across healthcare settings may contribute to safer care in family medicine. Patient-reported measures such as PaRIS provide valuable insights for monitoring and improving patient safety in family medicine.