Impact of hospital outpatients' experiences of patient safety on fear of infection: a secondary analysis of national data

Abstract

Introduction: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, outpatients’ concerns about infection risk have increased. It is crucial to understand the factors that contribute to this fear of infection to promote patient safety and encourage outpatients to seek proper follow-up treatment without fear. This study aims to understand the relationship between outpatients’ experiences of patient safety and their fear of infection.

Design: This was a secondary analysis of national data from the Healthcare Service Experience Survey in 2020.

Setting and participants: A total of 4416 patients with experience using outpatient services in the past year were included in South Korea.

Primary and secondary outcome measures: Demographic characteristics, fear of infection and safety experiences were assessed in the original survey. Fear of infection served as the dependent variable, with safety experiences—specifically, patient identification, preinjection explanations, hand hygiene, proper use of injection supplies, skin disinfection and adverse drug reactions—as the independent variables.

Results: Approximately 14% of outpatients had a fear of infection when receiving medical care. The unadjusted model showed that all patient safety categories were determinants of fear of infection, and the multivariate logistic model identified hand hygiene and medication safety experiences as significant factors associated with fear of infection.

Conclusions: This study revealed that patient safety experiences are associated with fear of infection in outpatient settings. Improving healthcare professionals’ hand hygiene and managing adverse drug reactions are crucial for enhancing patient safety.