Abstract

Introduction: Improving the safety culture in health care centers has implemented as Key strategy to improve patient safety in health care. Safety culture assessment has been recommended as a strategy for patient safety. In this regard, hospitals that has implemented patient safety friendly hospital initiative (PSHFI) are as an umbrella that underlying all aspects of patient safety. This study aimed to evaluation the effect of establishing patient safety friendly hospital initiative on improving patient safety culture in a before-after study. Methods: This is a quasi experimental-interventional, descriptive and correlation study that has implemented in Sadooghi and Rahnemoon hospitals in Yazd city in 20113. Prior to implementation patient safety friendly hospital initiative in mentioned hospitals, Patient safety culture has been studied in a separate study. Thus, in the way of examining the patient safety culture after implementing patient safety friendly hospital initiative and comparing its aspects with safety culture aspects in previous study, the rate of improvement in different aspects of safety culture in effect of implementing this design has obtained. Findings: Average score of safety culture in Sadooghi and Rahnanoon hospitals has improved in order from 40.19 and 41.40 to 54.77 and 51.85. Strongest area of safety culture in Sadooghi hospital in after study was teamwork within hospital units area with the score of 77.9 and the weakest area of this hospital was the area of reply to issues related to employee with a score of 36.77. On the other hand, the strongest area in Rahnemoon hospital was organizational learning-continuous improvement area with a score of 78.83 and the weakest area was the frequency of incidents and accidents reporting of with a score of 25.9.inConclusion: Implementation of patient safety friendly initiative has significant impact on improving patient safety culture in both hospitals. Although these two hospitals have achieved 100 of the required standard and considered among between level 1 friendly patient safety hospitals, but safety culture has improved from poor status to moderate during two past years. © IDOSI Publications, 2014.