title: Benchmarking the post-accreditation patient safety culture at King Abdulaziz University Hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Accreditation is an internationally recognized evaluation process used to assess, promote, and guarantee efficient and effective patient care and safety. Saudi Arabia is one of the first countries in the eastern Mediterranean region to implement health care accreditation standards. This study provides valuable information pertaining to the impact of accreditation in the unique multicultural, multilingual competitive environment at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this study was to perform an unbiased assessment of the impact of accreditation on patient safety culture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional retrospective and prospective study post-accreditation at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 870 registered nurses from eight different cultural backgrounds working at 22 hospital units were given electronic access to the survey. A 5-point Likert scale was used, ranging from 1 for 'Strongly disagree' to 5 for 'Strongly agree.' The survey results were matched with the international benchmarks from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, 2005.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 605 nurses answered the survey questionnaire. The comparison between the percentages of nurses at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) and those at international hospitals who answered 'Agree' and 'Strongly agree' showed a post-accreditation improved perception of the culture of patient safety.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accreditation has an overall statistically significant improvement in the perception of the culture of patient safety.
authors.affiliation: Planning and Development Department, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. balawa@kau.edu.sa
authors.forename: Bahjat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Al-Awa
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al Mazrooa
authors.forename: Osama
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rayes
authors.forename: Taghreed
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: El Hati
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Devreux
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Al-Noury
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.forename: Basem Salama
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: El-Deek
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D019985:Benchmarking; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses; D015279:Organizational Culture; D061214:Patient Safety; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires