Factors related to patient safety accident in long-term care hospitals: Focused on patient, nurse, and hospital factors

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the factors related to patient safety accidents in long-term care hospitals. Methods: The participants were 50 patients who had safety accidents during a hospitalization period and 100 patients who had no safety accidents, and were hospitalized during the same period, and had the same gender, age, and underlying diseases as the accident group. A complete enumeration survey was conducted on 85 nurses working in three long-term care hospitals. Results: The patient safety accident rate was 0.62 persons per 1000 hospital days. Regarding harmful incidents of patient safety accidents, step 1 harmful incidents accounted for the highest rate (56.0%). Regarding the type of accident, falls accounted for the highest rate (46.0%). Regarding the place of accidents, hospital rooms accounted for the highest rate (72.0%). The accident group and the non-accident group had statistically significant differences in cardiac disorders, sedative hypnotics, vasodilators, nootropic agents, antibiotics, wearing an adult diaper, and physical restraints. In terms of nurses, the accident experience group and the non-experience group had a statistically significant difference in their work career (x2=7.69, p=.027). The patient safety culture score was statistically significantly different between hospital 1 and hospital 2 (F=11.07, p=.003). Conclusion: It is necessary to develop systems and strategies that handle all three factors to enhance the patient safety culture in the long-term care hospitals. ? 2020 Korean Gerontological Nursing Society.