THE HIDDEN IMPACTS OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS ON PATIENT SAFETY CULTURE

Introduction: Previous studies have shown that over 45% of healthcare workers exhibit symptoms of stress, but the impacts of occupational stress on patient safety culture (PSC) are not well understood. Objectives: This study was to determine the relationship between occupational stress and PSC at Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital in 2022. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 390 healthcare workers at Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital in November 2022. Data was collected using the Vietnamese version of the HSOPSC 2.0 tool (Cronbach’s alpha 0.68-0.93) and the DASS-21-S. Results: The results showed that 15% of healthcare workers had mild to severe stress. The average PSC score was 3.13 with a standard deviation of 0.36 (5-point Likert scale). Higher occupational stress was associated with lower overall PSC. Specifically, occupational stress negatively impacted three domains of patient safety: teamwork, error communication, and hospital management support for patient safety. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that reducing healthcare worker stress could be an intervention to improve PSC. Hospitals should consider implementing workplace stress relief initiatives as an important factor in promoting PSC in healthcare, which can directly impact patient health and satisfaction.