@article{8376,
  author = {Haytham M A Kaafarani and Kamal M F Itani and Amy K. Rosen and Shibei Zhao and Christine W. Hartmann and David M. Gaba},
  title = {How does patient safety culture in the operating room and post-anesthesia care unit compare to the rest of the hospital?},
  abstract = {<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>A strong patient safety culture in the operating room (OR) and post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) is essential to promote safe care.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>The Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations (PSCHO) survey was administered to employees at 30 Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals. The survey consisted of 42 close-ended items representing 12 different dimensions of safety. We measured percent problematic response (PPR); higher PPR values reflect weaker safety culture. The "OR/PACU" and the "Other Work Areas" groups' item-specific, dimension-specific, and overall problematic responses were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>The overall and dimension-specific PPRs were similar between the OR/PACU and the Other Work Areas group (overall: 20.2% and 18.1%, respectively; P = .41). When the 2 groups were compared on an item-by-item level, the OR/PACU staff reported more frequent witnessing of unsafe patient care (PPR 55.1% vs 43.2%; P = .01), and perceived less understanding by senior leadership of clinical care (PPR 28.3% vs 17.1%; P = .01) and less hospital interest in quality of care (PPR 20.4% vs 12.5%; P = .03).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>Specific areas of safety culture in the OR/PACU were found that should be targeted for improvement.</p>},
  year = {2009},
  journal = {Am J Surg},
  volume = {198},
  pages = {70-5},
  month = {07/2009},
  issn = {1879-1883},
  doi = {10.1016/j.amjsurg.2008.09.017},
  language = {eng},
}