Patient Safety Culture and Its Associated Factors Among Health Care Professionals in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess patient safety culture among health care professionals in Ethiopia. In addition, the study identifies key factors associated with patient safety culture. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, HINARI, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and African Journals Online on March 4, 2025, to identify relevant primary research articles. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale checklist. We estimated the pooled prevalence of patient safety culture using a random-effects model. We calculated the aggregated prevalence of patient safety culture using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity across studies was evaluated using the I² statistic. Publication bias was assessed through the visual inspection of funnel plots and confirmed by Egger test. RESULTS: The pooled prevalence of patient safety culture in Ethiopia was 44.24% (95% CI: 39.31-49.17; I²=94%). Participation in patient safety programs (OR=1.56; 95% CI: 1.27-1.93; I²=85%), adverse event reporting (OR=1.55; 95% CI: 1.2-8.10; I²=40.33%), training (OR=3.30; 95% CI: 1.20-9.07; I²=95.08%), age (OR=0.24; 95% CI: 0.13-0.85; I²=91.94%), work experience (OR=2.10; 95% CI: 4.30-9.45; I²=74.1%), and educational status (OR=3.70; 95% CI: 1.22-11.28; I²=67.6%) were associated factors of patient safety culture. CONCLUSIONS: The pooled prevalence of patient safety culture in Ethiopia was found to be low. Therefore, the Ministry of Health should take action by giving special attention to the identified factors, providing training, and encouraging active participation in patient safety initiatives.