Health Literacy as a Key Determinant of Patient Safety among Nurses in Pakistan

Background and objective: Patient safety remains a critical concern in low- and middle-income countries such as Pakistan. Nurses’ health literacy may contribute to improved patient safety through better clinical decision-making; however, factors such as heavy workload and limited training may compromise both health literacy and safety practices. This study aimed to examine the relationship between health literacy and patient safety culture among nurses in a single hospital in Pakistan.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in ۲۰۲۶ in one hospital in Pakistan. A total of ۱۵۰ nurses participated. Data were collected using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) and the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC).Results: Participants demonstrated moderate levels of health literacy (mean = ۳.۱۳) and patient safety culture (mean = ۳.۲۷). A moderate positive correlation was observed between health literacy and patient safety culture (r = ۰.۴۲, p < ۰.۰۱). However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the cross-sectional design, which limits causal inference, and the single-center sampling, which restricts generalizability. Therefore, the results should be considered preliminary.Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence of an association between nurses’ health literacy and patient safety culture in a limited hospital setting. However, the observed relationship cannot be interpreted causally. Further large-scale, multi-center, and longitudinal studies are required to confirm these findings and explore additional contextual and organizational factors influencing patient safety.

کلیدواژه ها:

Health Literacy ، Patient safety ، Nurses