Experimenting the hospital survey on patient safety culture in prevention facilities in Italy: psychometric properties

Abstract

Objective: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) was designed to assess staff views on patient safety culture in hospital. This study examines psychometrics of the Italian translation of the HSOPS for use in territorial prevention facilities.

Design: After minimal adjustments and pre-test of the Italian version, a qualitative cross-sectional study was carried out.

Setting: Departments of Prevention (DPs) of four Local Health Authorities in Northern Italy.

Participants: Census of medical and non-medical staff (n. 479).

Intervention: Web-based self-administered questionnaire.

Main outcome measures: Descriptive statistics, internal reliability, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and intercorrelations among survey composites.

Results: Initial CFA of the 12 patient safety culture composites and 42 items included in the original version of the questionnaire revealed that two dimensions (Staffing and Overall Perception of Patient Safety) and nine individual items did not perform well among Italian territorial Prevention staff. After dropping those composites and items, psychometric properties were acceptable (comparative fit index = 0.94; root mean square error of approximation = 0.04; standardized root mean square residual = 0.04). Internal consistency for each remaining composite met or exceeded the criterion 0.70. Intercorrelations were all statistically significant.

Conclusions: Psychometric analyses provided overall support for 10 of the 12 initial patient safety culture composites and 33 of the 42 initial composite items. Although the original instrument was intended for US Hospitals, the Italian translation of the HSOPS adapted for use in territorial prevention facilities performed adequately in Italian DPs.

Keywords: patient safety; prevention (incl. screening) < setting of care.