Organizational culture and the level of healthcare quality and patient safety in light of international experiences

Purpose:The aim of this study is to analyze the state of research on the relationship between organizational culture and the level of healthcare quality and patient safety in light of international experiences.Design/methodology/approach: The article is a non-systematic literature review.Searches for studies on organizational culture and healthcare quality were conducted in databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus.The search queries included the following descriptors: "organizational culture", "organizational culture and hospital", "organizational culture and health care system", "patient safety", and "quality of health care".Original primary articles focusing on organizational culture and healthcare quality, available in full text in English online, were included in the study.The search identified 70 studies, of which 26 were excluded due to factors such as inappropriate study design, lack of relevance to the research objective, or outdated data.Ultimately, 44 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis.The selected articles underwent detailed analysis, and significant data were extracted and organized by the author.The collected data were divided into specific sections, such as organizational culture, safety culture, the impact of management on healthcare quality, organizational culture change, and quality in healthcare.To ensure a coherent presentation of the results, a narrative approach to data synthesis was applied, involving the integration of information from the studies to provide a comprehensive review of the findings.Findings: The final conclusion is the need to treat organizational culture as an integral component of quality management in healthcare.The pursuit of improving quality and patient safety cannot be limited to formal procedures and tools but should be rooted in values and attitudes supporting shared responsibility, continuous improvement, and mutual respect.Only in such an environment is it possible to achieve sustainable improvement in both clinical outcomes and the experiences of patients and staff.At the same time, it should be emphasized that there is a research gap in analyzing the impact of organizational culture on healthcare quality and patient safety.This area requires in-depth research that will allow for a better understanding of the cultural mechanisms determining quality in healthcare systems.Originality/value: This paper offers a non-systematic literature review of 44 selected studies that explores the relationship between organizational culture, healthcare quality and patient safety.Value of the paper is synthesis of current knowledge, practical recommendations, K. Sowiska-Domagaa, R. Wolniak multidimensional analysis, cross-cultural comparative approach, integration of staff and patient perspectives.This paper appears to be addressed to key groups: healthcare administration and managers, clinical leaders, healthcare quality specialists, healthcare policy makers, healthcare educators.