Patient safety from the perspective of medical trainees: a cross sectional study in Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Due to the importance of patient safety, it is necessary that health care providers have sufficient knowledge and positive attitude toward this issue. Therefore, current study aimed to evaluate the patient safety viewpoint among trainees in internship and residency programs in Kerman University of Medical Sciences (KUMS). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out on 275 trainees in internship and residency in KUMS, 2018. The data collection tool was the Persian version of World Health Organization, Patient Safety questionnaire which evaluates medical students’ knowledge (7 items) and attitude (35 items) toward patient safety. The minimum and maximum score was 7 and 35 for knowledge and 30 and 150 for attitude section. Data analyzed by SPSS 19 using T-test, ANOVA, and multiple linear regressions. Results: The mean score of participants' knowledge was 19.63 which were significantly lower than the considered average. The mean score of participants' attitude was 97.33 which was considered higher than the average. Residents had higher knowledge and attitude scores compared to interns. A significant relationship was found between the knowledge score and age and the time spent in the current educational level. Conclusion: Our study showed that knowledge and attitude of interns and residents was almost moderate toward patient safety. The residents had a higher attitude and knowledge than interns. This is probably due to more work experience and training courses provided at the beginning of the residency program. Therefore, it is imperative that patient safety topics be considered in medical curriculum planning.