DEVELOPING A PATIENT SAFETY FRAMEWORK FOR INDIA (PaSaFI): A TOOL TO ASSESS THE PATIENT SAFETY CULTURE AND PRACTICES AMONG HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS

Description

“Safety is knowledge, it’s intentional, it’s a habit, it’s a way of life, and when it influences a group behavior, it becomes a culture.” PaSaFI Framework (Patient Safety Framework for India) is a tested tool designed for the Indian health system to measure the Patient Safety Culture in the organization. Measuring the organization’s culture is critical to make any improvement. Safety in general and patient safety in specific needs to be reviewed, measured and conscious efforts should be initiated to improve the situation based on these reviews. Just like Quality has no limits, safety measures should be continuously emphasized, practiced, and measured to make healthcare safe. The tool is adapted from multiple available tools globally to measure patient safety culture, and effort is made to simplify it. From the initial tool, which used 30 variables to measure the culture, the study narrows it down to 16 most pertinent variables. The study verifies the importance of various Influencing factors in terms of Leadership, Communication, Safety process, Reporting, Learning, and most importantly, patient involvement. The framework is intended to be used in a healthcare organization and can be undertaken by employees for at least six months with the organization. The tools can also help in analyzing the existing patient safety practices within the organization.