Patient safety and leadership style in the government general hospitals in Kuwait: a multi-method study
ISSN: 1751-1879
Article publication date: 4 November 2021
Issue publication date: 21 April 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the relationships between leadership style and reported incidents, reporting practices and patient safety initiatives in Kuwaiti hospitals.
Design/methodology/approach
This cross-sectional and retrospective quantitative multi-centre study was conducted in a secondary care setting. The multifactor leadership questionnaire and the patient safety questionnaire were distributed in six general hospitals to a sample of physicians, nurses and pharmacists. Incident reports were reviewed in each hospital to assess reporting practices.
Findings
The hospital with the most safety incident reports scored the highest on good reporting practices, whereas the hospital with the lowest score of poor reporting practices had reported fewer incidents. Reporting was better if an error reached the patient but caused no harm. Overall, reporting practices and implementation of patient safety initiatives in the hospitals were suboptimal. Nevertheless, a transformational leadership style had a positive effect on patient safety and reporting practices.
Practical implications
This study represents a baseline for researchers to assess the relationship between leadership style and patient safety. Moreover, it highlights significant considerations to be addressed when planning patient safety improvement programmes. More investment is needed to understand how to raise transformational leaders who are more effective on patient safety. Further studies that include primary and tertiary health-care settings and the private sector are required.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first in Kuwait to report on the relationship between transformational leadership and safety practices.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge Kuwait Ministry of Health for funding the research and covering the costs of transportation, purchasing the questionnaires from the publisher, writing and printing the data collection tools, and statistical analysis of data. The authors also acknowledge and thank Prof. Hoda H. Zaki for her guidance and contribution.
Citation
ALFadhalah, T. and Elamir, H. (2022), "Patient safety and leadership style in the government general hospitals in Kuwait: a multi-method study", Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 190-209. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-07-2021-0062
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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