Developing a framework for assessing the safety of service recipients in primary health care

Introduction: Safety has been neglected in primary health care (PHC). A review of the literature shows that a comprehensive and specific framework to assess the safety of the service recipients (SRs) in PHC has not yet been developed. Therefore, this study aimed to design and validate a framework for assessing the safety of SRs in PHC. Methods: This study is a qualitative study with a grounded theory approach that was designed and conducted in 2020 in the Vice-Chancellor for Health of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The present study was conducted in three stages: conducting a comprehensive literature review, consulting 15 experts and officials of the country and the province, and conducting two stages of the Delphi technique with the participation of 23 experts. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: In the literature review phase, 114 criteria were identified from 16 references. Finally, 71 criteria, in 6 main areas and 20 sub-areas, were identified for assessing the safety of SRs in PHC. The main areas include management and leadership (26 criteria), process management (8 criteria), SRs' safety audit (15 criteria), human resources (5 criteria), SRs and community participation (5 criteria), and occupational safety (12 criteria). Conclusion: In this study, a comprehensive and systematic framework and criteria for measuring the safety of SRs in PHC were designed and validated, which can be used by policymakers and officials of PHC.