Interprofessional Comparisons in Patient Safety Culture at a Teaching Hospital Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges with its impact on patient safety culture and staff well-being. This study was to identify potential changes in safety culture among health care workers from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to determine the differences across occupational groups. The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) was administered electronically in both English and Malay languages using the Google Forms platform in 2018 and was repeated in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Comparisons were made between 2018 and 2021 to determine changes in patient safety culture for the overall staff population and by occupational groups. A total of 3175 health care workers completed the questionnaire in 2021. Overall, a comparable percentage agreement was found for all SAQ domains in 2018 and 2021 with visible improvements for doctors and support staff. Safety Attitudes Questionnaire domain scores differed in teamwork, safety climate, perception of hospital management, and working condition domains across occupational groups. Self-isolation and COVID-19 were associated with poorer SAQ domain scores, while redeployment was associated with improvements in SAQ domain scores. Interventions targeting areas of weakness as well as utilizing positive experiences such as redeployment should be explored to enhance patient safety in hospitals settings postpandemic.

Socio-Demographic Factors and Public Knowledge of Antibiotic Resistance.

(1) Background: Antibiotic resistance is a serious health issue, and raising public awareness of it is crucial to combating it. This study aimed to assess the socio-demographic factors associated with knowledge of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in Malaysia. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between April 2022 and March 2023. Malaysian adults aged ≥18 years old and able to understand English or Malay were recruited. During data collection, the WHO questionnaire "Antibiotic Resistance, Multi-Country Public Awareness Survey" was used. Data were collected across 14 states in Malaysia. (3) Results: A total of 517 participants completed the questionnaire. Most participants were females (67.9%), aged 30-49 (46%), and from central Malaysia (69.8%). Most participants (98.5%) reported taking antibiotics. A misconception presented was that sore throats, fevers, colds, and flu can be treated with antibiotics. A total of 58.8% of participants had high knowledge of antibiotic usage (scores 12-15), while 64% had high knowledge of antibiotic resistance (scores 9-14). Findings indicate that increasing age, income, and education were associated with higher knowledge. (4) Conclusions: This study highlights the knowledge deficiency of antibiotic resistance among Malaysians. Educational programs should engage a younger and lower socio-economic population to increase awareness.

Interdisciplinary differences in patient safety culture within a teaching hospital in Southeast Asia.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety represents a global issue which leads to potentially avoidable morbidity and mortality. The healthcare providers perception and their role are utmost important in delivering quality care and patient safety. This study aimed to determine the interdisciplinary differences in patient safety culture in a tertiary university hospital. METHOD: A cross-sectional study using the Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) self-administered electronically in the English and Malay languages to evaluate safety culture domains. A positive percentage agreement scores of 60% was considered satisfactory. Comparisons were made between doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, nursing assistants and support staff. RESULTS: Of 6562 respondents, 5724 (80.4%) completed the questionnaire; 3930 (74.5%) women, 2263 (42.9%) nurses, and 1812 (34.2%) had 6-10 years of working experience. The mean overall positive percentage agreement scores were 66.2 (range = 31.1 to 84.7%), with job satisfaction (72.3% ± 21.9%) and stress recognition (58.3 ± 25.6%) representing the highest and lowest mean domain scores, respectively. Differences were observed between all five job categories. Linear regression analyses revealed that the other four job categories scored lower in teamwork, safety climate, job satisfaction and working conditions compared to nurses. CONCLUSIONS: The overall mean SAQ score was above the satisfactory level, with unsatisfactory percentage agreement scores in the stress recognition domain. Interventions to improve patient safety culture should be developed, focusing on stress management.

Identifying Malnutrition: Nutritional Status in Newly Diagnosed Patients With Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is common among patients with cancer, but little attention is given to its risks and consequences. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to assess the nutritional status and identify the factors associated with malnutrition among newly diagnosed patients with cancer. METHODS: Patients admitted with newly diagnosed cancer at a teaching hospital in Malaysia were recruited from January to April 2015. Nutritional status was assessed before treatment initiation, and patients were classified into three categories. FINDINGS: A total of 132 pretreatment patients were recruited into the study. About half were severely malnourished. Patients with stage III cancer had the highest prevalence of severe malnourishment. Clinical parameters and disease characteristics were significantly associated with nutritional status. Demographic variables were also statistically significantly associated with severe nutritional status.