Table 2.
Recognition of importance of participation, extent of willingness to participate and experience of participation in patient safety activities (n=492)
| Patient participation practices | Engaging in healthcare behaviours | Frequency of participation | |||||
| Recognition of importance | Extent of willingness | Experience of participation | Always | Often | Sometimes | Not at all | |
| M±SD | N (%) | ||||||
| Seeking a second opinion regarding an important healthcare decision | 3.23±0.71 | 2.70±0.97 | 2.07±0.89 | 38 (7.7) | 98 (19.9) | 217 (44.1) | 139 (28.3) |
| Asking healthcare workers to explain more fully something they just said that I do not understand | 3.47±0.65 | 3.19±0.80 | 2.58±0.84 | 73 (14.8) | 177 (36.0) | 202 (41.1) | 40 (8.1) |
| Bringing a friend or family member to a doctor’s appointment so that they can help ask questions and understand what the doctor was telling me | 2.73±0.84 | 2.19±0.90 | 1.84±0.86 | 25 (5.1) | 75 (15.2) | 187 (38.0) | 205 (41.7) |
| Asking healthcare workers if they washed their hands | 2.96±0.84 | 1.43±0.76 | 1.37±0.74 | 13 (2.7) | 39 (7.9) | 64 (13.0) | 376 (76.4) |
| Telling healthcare workers about any drug allergies when they did not ask for this information | 3.55±0.69 | 3.08±1.02 | 2.22±1.10 | 82 (16.7) | 118 (24.0) | 118 (24.0) | 174 (35.3) |
| Asking healthcare workers to confirm your identity before performing a procedure | 3.20±0.84 | 2.05±1.02 | 1.64±0.94 | 31 (6.3) | 65 (13.2) | 91 (18.5) | 305 (62.0) |
| Asking healthcare workers about the details of a procedure and the reason for a procedure before it is performed | 3.55±0.67 | 3.31±0.82 | 2.88±0.95 | 150 (30.5) | 178 (36.2) | 120 (24.4) | 44 (8.9) |
| Asking healthcare workers to explain care, such as an X-ray or drawing blood, that I was not told about by my doctor or nurse | 3.43±0.72 | 2.86±0.95 | 2.50±1.04 | 108 (22.0) | 125 (25.4) | 164 (33.3) | 95 (19.3) |
| Calling a healthcare worker when I undergo medical tests ordered and no one calls me with the results | 3.40±0.70 | 3.29±0.83 | 2.50±1.10 | 117 (23.8) | 129 (26.2) | 127 (25.8) | 119 (24.2) |
| Taking a written list of all the medications I’m currently taking when going to the doctor | 3.22±0.80 | 2.34±1.07 | 2.02±1.03 | 55 (11.2) | 102 (20.7) | 132 (26.8) | 203 (41.3) |
| Questioning medications or pills if I did not recognise them and never took this medication in the past | 3.33±0.77 | 2.82±0.98 | 2.35±1.05 | 85 (17.3) | 131 (26.6) | 149 (30.3) | 127 (25.8) |
| Checking that I received the right drug and strength before leaving the pharmacy | 3.22±0.81 | 2.30±1.10 | 2.09±1.09 | 76 (15.5) | 86 (17.5) | 134 (27.2) | 196 (39.8) |
| Reporting the errors I noticed had occurred in the hospital to a national reporting system | 3.20±0.80 | 2.51±0.96 | 1.70±0.99 | 40 (8.1) | 71 (14.4) | 84 (17.1) | 297 (60.4) |
| Total | 3.27±0.51 | 2.62±0.52 | 2.13±0.63 | ||||