TOP 40 - Association Between Patient and Family-Reported Hospital Safety Climate, Patient Experience, and Preferred Language

Publication Number: 3770.TOP 40

Mercy Toma, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Rachel K. D'Anna, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Kathryn P. Gray, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Alisa Khan, Harvard Medical School/Boston Children's Hospital, Cambridge, MA, United States

Background: Language barriers contribute to disparities in patient safety, outcomes, and overall healthcare experiences. Patient safety climate (patients’ perceptions of safety) and patient experience are both important measures of healthcare quality. Previous studies have shown that patients who speak languages other than English (LOE) tend to report lower perceptions of safety climate, compared to those who speak English (E). Although a positive association between safety climate and patient experience has been reported in the general population, it is unclear how this relationship varies among patients who speak LOE (as well as a subgroup of LOE who speak Spanish (LOES)) because most research examines these measures separately in LOE populations. We aim to evaluate the relationships between safety climate perceptions and patient experience, as well as whether language preference modifies the potential relationships, with the hope of providing new insights into patient-centered safety and equity and allowing for more tailored and relevant strategies to improve the quality of care provided to patients.

Objective: • To evaluate the relationship between perceived hospital safety climate and patient experience (e.g., care quality, hospital rating and likelihood of recommending the hospital)
• To evaluate the relationships of patients and families reported safety climate and experiences according to the patient language preference (E, vs LOE and LOES).

Design/Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study (3/2024-8/2025) to evaluate patients’ and families’ reported safety climate and experiences via survey in the hospital setting, based on the multisite, ongoing I-PASS LISTEN study. One time survey questionnaires were conducted during patient discharge to capture patient/family experiences during the hospital stay. The survey includes 14 items assessing perceived hospital safety climate and 3 items assessing patient experience, all using Likert scales. Analyses will summarize participant demographics and distributions of completed survey responses overall and by language preference (E, LOE, LOES). We will also use regression analysis to evaluate the associations between perceived hospital safety climate and overall patient experiences via the survey outcome data. Data preparation and statistical analyses will be completed by January 31, 2026, with final interpretation continuing through March 2026.