Implementation Analysis of a Perioperative Patient Safety Program in Guatemala

Background The implementation of programs to improve patient safety remains challenging in low- and middle-income countries. The goal of our study was to define the barriers and facilitators to implementation of a perioperative patient safety program in Guatemala. Material and methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 staff pre-intervention and a follow-up focus group discussion 1 year later in the perioperative department at the Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala. We performed qualitative thematic analysis to identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation process, with analysis guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Results We found several dominant themes affecting implementation of a patient safety program. Implementation facilitators included strong prioritization of patient needs, program compatibility with existing workflow, and staff attributes. Barriers included a lack of knowledge about patient safety, limited resources, limited leadership engagement, and lack of formal implementation leaders. Several program modifications were made to enhance successful implementation iteratively during the implementation process. Discussion Our analysis highlights several dominant themes which affect the implementation of a perioperative safety program in Guatemala. Understanding the barriers and facilitators to implementation during program deployment allows for program modification and improvement of the implementation process itself.