To explore patients' experiences of participation in surgical wound care and provide an in-depth understanding of their experiences with post-operative wound care during and post-hospitalisation.
A descriptive qualitative study.
Adult participants who had undergone surgery within 30 days were purposively selected from two surgical wards at Gold Coast University Hospital. Seventeen semi-structured phone interviews were conducted using a specifically developed and piloted interview guide. Textual data were analysed using inductive content analysis.
Three main categories were identified. The first category, ‘I didn't expect how distressing post-operative wound care would be; it's tougher than I thought,’ highlights the significant and unexpected physical and emotional challenges participants faced, which initially hindered their engagement. The second category highlights the impact of healthcare professional interactions on patient participation, ‘I want to be involved, but conflicting advice and dismissive behaviour discourage me.’ The third category, ‘With my family's help, wound care got easier as I tried, learned, and recovered,’ illustrates how family support facilitated participants' independence and engagement over time.
The spectrum of patient participation in surgical wound care is dynamic and impacted by environmental, physical and psychological factors. This research deepens understanding of patient participation by highlighting the importance of family support and a temporal perspective in patients' wound care journeys.
Findings showed participants were unprepared for surgical wound care, greatly influenced by healthcare provider communication and family support, and evolved in participation as time passed and their wounds healed. Additionally, participants valued intent just as significantly as their behaviours and regarded even minor involvement as totally participative. These insights can inform strategies to improve patient participation in surgical settings.
SRQR (Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research).
No patient was involved in this study.
To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSoPSC) version 2.0 in Ethiopian public hospitals.
A cross-sectional study.
Five public hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia.
Healthcare professionals (N=582).
An adapted and contextualised version of HSoPSC 2.0 was used to conduct structural validity using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA). Convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated through item loadings and interfactor correlations, respectively. Reliability was measured using McDonald’s omega and Cronbach’s alpha.
CFA indicated a poor model fit for the original 10-factor, 32-item HSoPSC 2.0 across all statistical indices: relative chi-square (²/df=7.71), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA=0.108), standardised root mean square residual (SRMR=0.088), comparative fit index (CFI=0.814) and Tucker-Lewis’s index (TLI=0.780). Consequently, a comprehensive EFA was conducted, which identified a revised model comprising 5-factor, 21-item. This model accounted for 62.8% of the total variance and demonstrated strong construct validity, with excellent fit indices (²/df=3.67, RMSEA=0.068, SRMR=0.034, CFI=0.969, TLI=0.945). Internal consistency, assessed via McDonald’s omega and Cronbach’s alpha, exceeded the acceptable threshold of 0.70 across all dimensions, except for Response to Error (0.66). The convergent and discriminant validity of the new model was confirmed, ensuring an accurate representation of the underlying constructs.
The original HSoPSC 2.0 with 10-factor, 32-item failed to demonstrate structural validity in the Ethiopian healthcare context. In contrast, a revised 5-factor, 21-item model showed strong validity and acceptable reliability. This adapted version provides a culturally and contextually relevant tool for assessing patient safety culture in Ethiopian healthcare settings.