Oral Health and Dental Management

Abstract

Dentists’ Perceptions of The Meaning and Promotion Patient Safety – A Qualitative Study

Bryan Khai Sern Chew, Daniel Zhi-Jie Sim, Allan Pau

Objectives: Little is known about dentists’ perception of patient safety even though they have an important role in mediating patient safety. This qualitative study explored Malaysian dentists’ perceptions of patient safety. Methods: Participants were purposively sampled according to sex and sector of service. Snowball sampling, in which existing participants were asked to introduce their colleagues, was used to enhance recruitment. Unstructured 45-minute in-depth interviews were recorded with 15 dentists. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using the Framework method, in which transcribed data was systematically sifted and indexed according to themes. Results: Three main themes emerged: (i) Under Perceptions of concept and definition of patient safety, participants reported widely varied views, from the occurrence of any sort of untoward incident being considered harmful to a major adverse event has occurred; (ii) Under Management of patient safety, some dentists thought that regulations and guidelines were useful, whereas others believed that it depended on the individual dentist’s values and ethics; (iii) Under Promotion of patient safety, most dentists would appear to view education and training, especially at the undergraduate level, to be important in promoting patient safety. Conclusions: Without some familiarity, if not consensus, with the general context of patient safety, efforts to promote patient safety are likely to be faced with skepticism and disrespect. Positive attitudes toward patient safety need to be honed within the context of a positive safety culture within dental schools. Ethics and professionalism must underpin the development of a safety culture and training in patient safety promotion.