title: Patient safety culture assessment in oman.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To illustrate the patient safety culture in Oman as gleaned via 12 indices of patient safety culture derived from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) and to compare the average positive response rates in patient safety culture between Oman and the USA, Taiwan, and Lebanon.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional research study employed to gauge the performance of HSPSC safety indices among health workers representing five secondary and tertiary care hospitals in the northern region of Oman. The participants (n=398) represented different professional designations of hospital staff. Analyses were performed using univariate statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall average positive response rate for the 12 patient safety culture dimensions of the HSPSC survey in Oman was 58%. The indices from HSPSC that were endorsed the highest included 'organizational learning and continuous improvement' while conversely, 'non-punitive response to errors' was ranked the least. There were no significant differences in average positive response rates between Oman and the United States (58% vs. 61%; p=0.666), Taiwan (58% vs. 64%; p=0.386), and Lebanon (58% vs. 61%; p=0.666).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides the first empirical study on patient safety culture in Oman which is similar to those rates reported elsewhere. It highlights the specific strengths and weaknesses which may stem from the specific milieu prevailing in Oman.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Mandhari
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacy, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman; Gulf Health Research, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Al-Zakwani
authors.affiliation: Statistics & Health Information, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
authors.forename: Moosa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Kindi
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization Representative, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Jihane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tawilah
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman.
authors.forename: Atsu S S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Dorvlo
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 35, Al-Khoudh 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. adawi@squ.edu.om ; jimbo@omantel.net.om ; samir-al-adawi@fulbrightmail.org.
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Adawi
keywords: Health care surveys; Hospital administration; Oman; Organizational culture; Patient safety