Measuring hospital safety culture: Testing the HSOPSC scale

As part of an organization's safety management strategy, it is important to assess the level of safety climate with a valid instrument. The aim of this study is to investigate the psychometric properties of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) based on a sample of clinical staff from Scottish acute hospitals and to determine the suitability for Scottish healthcare setting. The data were collected from 1966 clinical staff (estimated 22% response rate) from one acute hospital from each of seven Scottish Health Boards. In order to test the psychometric properties of the questionnaire, a split-half cross-validation technique was used. The data were randomly split into two, and Exploratory (EFA) and Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted on the calibration and validation data sets to investigate and check the original US model fit from a Scottish sample. EFA results showed a 10 factor optimal measurement model. The CFA were then performed to compare the model fit of two alternative models (10 factor alternative model vs. 12 factor original model). It was demonstrated that both factor structures performed equally well in a Scottish sample. Furthermore, reliability analyses of each component yielded satisfactory results. Therefore no modifications are required to the original 12 factor model which is suggested for use since it would allow researchers the possibility of cross-national comparisons.