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Abstract:

Background: Patient safety has been and is going to be the defining component of high quality health care. Studies have been performed regarding patient safety with much focus on medication errors, falls and safety incidents. In 2012, however, the World Health Organization stated that majority of the patient-provider interaction occurs in the primary care settings.

Objective: The analysis aimed at reviewing the literature on the concept patient safety in primary care, clarifying the defining attributes, and identifying the antecedents and consequences of the concept by using Walker and Avant’s method of concept analysis.

Methodology: For the purpose of concept analysis, the major databases were searched namely CINAHL, MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, and ProQuest.  The following criteria were used for search: (a) peer-reviewed scholarly articles (b) English language (c) full text (d) date range from 2008 to 2013. Out of these hits, 18 articles were randomly chosen for the study. The analysis follows walker and Avant’s method of concept analysis (2011).

Results: The identified defining attributes of the concept are: knowledge, freedom from harm, and commitment. The antecedents of the concept patient safety in primary care include safety incidents, self-reflection, staffing, communication, documentation, in-service education and training for providers, and safety culture, while the consequences are: improved quality of care, prevention of injury, and improved patient satisfaction.

Conclusion: the analysis provided well-clarified defining attributes of the concept patient safety in primary care which include: (a) knowledge, (b) freedom from harm, (c) and commitment to the patient safety.

Recommendation: The study concluded the need for further research on the long-term consequences of safety incidents on patient and family health.

Keywords: patient safety, primary care, Walker and Avant concept analysis.