Evaluation of patient safety culture among Malaysian retail pharmacists: results of a self-reported survey

Figures & data

Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents (n=390)

Characteristics	Senior pharmacist (n)	Junior pharmacist (n)	Total (n)
Sex
Male	43	59	102
Female	71	217	288
Work experience in pharmacy
<6 months	0	132	132
6 months to <1 year	0	144	144
1 year to <3 years	43	0	43
3 years to <6 years	48	0	48
6 years to <12 years	18	0	18
≥12 years	5	0	5
Working hours per week
1–16	0	10	10
17–31	5	21	26
32–40	33	100	133
>40	76	145	221

Table 2 Positive response rate (PRR) for individual items and dimensions/composites

Dimensions/items	Overall PRR
1. Physical space and environment	73.3
A1. This pharmacy is well organized	87.4
A5. This pharmacy is free of clutter	69.0
A7. The physical layout of this pharmacy supports good workflow	63.4
2. Teamwork	81.0
A2. Staffs treat each other with respect	87.6
A4. Staffs in this pharmacy clearly understand their roles and responsibilities	77.2
A9. Staff work together as an effective team	78.1
3. Staff training and skills	77.6
A3. Technicians in this pharmacy receive the training they need to do their jobs	79.0
A6. Staff in this pharmacy have the skills they need to do their jobs well	79.0
A8. Staff who are new to this pharmacy receive adequate orientation	79.9
A10. Staff get enough training from this pharmacy	72.6
4. Communication openness	70.2
B1. Staff ideas and suggestions are valued in this pharmacy	55.4
B5. Staff feel comfortable asking questions when they are unsure about something	80.9
B10. It is easy for staff to speak up to their supervisor/manager about patient safety concerns in this pharmacy	74.3
5. Patient counseling	78.7
B2. We encourage patients to talk to pharmacists about their medications	82.6
B7. Our pharmacists spend enough time talking to patients about how to use their medications	76.5
B11. Our pharmacists tell patients important information about their new prescriptions	76.9
6. Staffing, work pressure, and pace	46.2
B3. Staff take adequate breaks during their shifts	71.4
B9. We feel rushed when processing prescriptions (negatively worded)	32.4
B12. We have enough staff to handle the workload	49.7
B16. Interruptions/distractions in this pharmacy (from phone calls, faxes, customers, etc) make it difficult for staff to work accurately (negatively worded)	31.2
7. Communication about prescription across shifts	60.8
B4. We have clear expectations about exchanging important prescription information across shifts	57.6
B6. We have standard procedures for communicating prescription information across shifts	65.0
B14. The status of problematic prescriptions is well communicated across shifts	59.8
8. Communication about mistakes	65.2
B8. Staff in this pharmacy discuss mistakes	60.7
B13. When patient safety issues occur in this pharmacy, staff discuss them	60.7
B15. In this pharmacy, we talk about ways to prevent mistakes from happening again	74.2
9. Responses to mistakes	60.1
C1. Staff are treated fairly when they make mistakes	71.9
C4. This pharmacy helps staff learn from their mistakes rather than punishing them	71.2
C7. We look at staff actions and the way we do things to understand why mistakes happen in this pharmacy	63.8
C8. Staff feel like their mistakes are held against them (negatively worded)	33.4
10. Organizational learning – continuous improvement	76.6
C2. When a mistake happens, we try to figure out what problems in the work process led to the mistake	81.8
C5. When the same mistake keeps happening, we change the way we do things	80.6
C10. Mistakes have led to positive changes in this pharmacy	67.4
11. Overall perceptions of patient safety	51.8
C3. This pharmacy places more emphasis on sales than on patient safety (negatively worded)	36.8
C6. This pharmacy is good at preventing mistakes	51.5
C9. The way we do things in this pharmacy reflects a strong focus on patient safety	66.9
Overall PRR for 36 items	67.0

Table 3 Comparison between positive response and work experience of pharmacists

Items	Experience				χ^2	P-value
	Senior pharmacist		Junior pharmacist
	NPR	NOR	NPR	NOR
A1. This pharmacy is well organized	98	16	242	34	2.7	0.22
A5. This pharmacy is free of clutter	71	43	173	103	4.3	0.24
A7. The physical layout of this pharmacy supports good workflow	74	40	168	108	3.8	0.31
A2. Staffs treat each other with respect	100	14	240	36	3.9	0.01a
A4. Staffs in this pharmacy clearly understand their roles and responsibilities	58	56	206	70	21.0	0.26
A9. Staff work together as an effective team	83	31	221	55	5.1	0.02a
A3. Technicians in this pharmacy receive the training they need to do their jobs	83	31	203	73	1.6	0.27
A6. Staff in this pharmacy have the skills they need to do their jobs well	86	23	218	58	1.2	0.33
A8. Staff who are new to this pharmacy receive adequate orientation	82	32	220	56	4.2	0.26
B1. Staff ideas and suggestions are valued in this pharmacy	75	39	154	122	6.0	0.05a
B5. Staff feel comfortable asking questions when they are unsure about something	94	20	220	56	0.9	0.54
B10. It is easy for staff to speak up to their supervisor/manager about patient safety concerns in this pharmacy	81	33	189	87	0.3	0.65
B2. We encourage patients to talk to pharmacists about their medications	95	19	222	54	0.9	0.62
B7. Our pharmacists spend enough time talking to patients about how to use their medications	92	22	201	75	5.3	0.37
B11. Our pharmacists tell patients important information about their new prescriptions	95	19	202	74	3.8	0.40
B3. Staff take adequate breaks during their shifts	77	37	185	91	0.5	0.56
B9. We feel rushed when processing prescriptions	25	89	70	206	0.8	0.52
B12. We have enough staff to handle the workload	57	57	128	148	5.2	0.02a
B16. Interruptions/distractions in this pharmacy (from phone calls, faxes, customers, etc) make it difficult for staff to work accurately	22	92	53	223	0.9	0.35
B4. We have clear expectations about exchanging important prescription information across shifts	67	47	134	142	3.1	0.37
B6. We have standard procedures for communicating prescription information across shifts	70	44	145	131	3.2	0.36
B14. The status of problematic prescriptions is well communicated across shifts	73	41	136	140	3.9	0.33
B8. Staff in this pharmacy discuss mistakes	80	34	154	122	4.2	0.31
B13. When patient safety issues occur in this pharmacy, staff discuss them	78	36	143	133	4.1	0.02a
B15. In this pharmacy, we talk about ways to prevent mistakes from happening again	98	16	196	80	5.0	0.28
C1. Staff are treated fairly when they make mistakes	82	32	188	88	2.3	0.02a
C4. This pharmacy helps staff learn from their mistakes rather than punishing them	91	23	188	88	2.9	0.41
C7. We look at staff actions and the way we do things to understand why mistakes happen in this pharmacy	77	37	153	123	3.2	0.25
C8. Staff feel like their mistakes are held against them	13	101	36	240	0.9	0.59
C2. When a mistake happens, we try to figure out what problems in the work process led to the mistake	95	19	220	56	2.5	0.02a
C5. When the same mistake keeps happening, we change the way we do things	95	19	212	64	4.7	0.36
C10. Mistakes have led to positive changes in this pharmacy	78	36	167	109	1.6	0.52
C3. This pharmacy places more emphasis on sales than on patient safety	23	91	59	217	0.9	0.36
C6. This pharmacy is good at preventing mistakes	52	62	119	157	2.3	0.42
C9. The way we do things in this pharmacy reflects a strong focus on patient safety	83	31	164	112	5.1	0.52

Notes:

a P=0.05; NPR between senior and junior pharmacists were compared.

Abbreviations: NOR, number of other responses; NPR, number of positive responses.

Table 4 Overall patient safety grade in pharmacy

Patient safety grade	Senior pharmacist %	Junior pharmacist %	Total %
Poor	0.00	1.0	1.0
Fair	1.8	7.4	9.2
Good	11.0	37.2	48.2
Very good	13.9	22.8	36.7
Excellent	2.6	2.3	4.9