TITLE:
The Impact of Nurse Safety Culture on Patient Care Outcomes in Arab Healthcare Settings
AUTHORS:
Ali Alalwi, Bayan Buamer, Bayan Almkrani, Qassim Aldhaif, Mohammed Alabdullah, Fatima Almusharraf, Fatemah Alfarhan, Masoumah Al Muhaimid, Abdulrahman Alturaiki, Majed Alshabaan, Mohammed Alali, Mohammed Al Jaziri, Hussain Alkhowaiter, Hussain Al Abdullah, Mahdi Alamer, Fatimah Al Hassan, Ali Alhassan, Ali Al Hulimi, Nasser Almakaina, Mustafa Alshaer, Huda Al Sultan, Sana Al Sunaikh, Amani Alhussain, Hanan Alsultan, Layla Al Hussaini, Ahmad Alomran, Maha Alsunanyi, Zakiah Almajed
KEYWORDS:
Primary Health, Patient Safety, Safety Culture, Safety Climate, Work Condition
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.15 No.12,
December
10,
2025
ABSTRACT: Background: Patient safety culture (PSC) is an imperative component of quality healthcare. Understanding the composites of safety culture in Arab healthcare context where the cultural norms influence communication and safety practices is essential. This study looks at the perception of nurses on patient safety culture and how this influences patient outcomes among Arab hospitals. Methods: We undertook an electronic search of CINAHL, PubMed and PsychoINFO databases and manual search of references of included studies for evidences. We included 13 studies on patient safety culture undertaken in four Arab countries. Results: The identified studies were conducted in Palestine (n = 6), Kuwait (n = 3), Saudi Arabia (n = 2) and Jordan (n = 2). The study design used in the included studies was predominantly cross-sectional quantitative design using either the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) or Safety Attitude Questionnaire. Sample size was approximately 12,000 health care workers across multiple healthcare settings. On quality of the included studies, 7 studies were rated as high quality, 4 as moderate, and 2 as low as per the JBI checklist. Main Findings: Majorly, the included studies consistently showed a positive patient safety culture perception among nurses in Arab countries. Notably, teamwork and open communication were linked to better patient care outcomes. However, healthcare professionals also raised concerns about a punitive healthcare environment that discourages error reporting and inadequate staffing levels. This was consistent with international body of evidences on PSC identifying areas needing improvement. Conclusion: The findings of this review show that a holistic approach to strengthening patient safety culture is needed. Part of this effort is fostering a just culture that encourages error reporting and addressing staffing shortages.