A cross-sectional survey of professors and deans at Spanish medical schools identified perceived gaps in undergraduate patient safety education, with 46% of respondents saying fewer than 60% of the 11 patient-safety topics recommended by the World Health Organization were included in their curricula. The survey invited 80 faculty members from 49 medical schools, and 29 participated, producing a response rate of 36%. Only 21% of respondents said 81% to 100% of the recommended topics were integrated.
Quality improvement was the most frequently reported area of integration, included according to 85% of respondents, followed by minimizing healthcare-associated infections at 82%. Less widespread were patient and caregiver involvement, identified by 46%; understanding system failures and learning from errors, at 29%; and teamwork, at 26%. The findings represent the views of participating faculty rather than a direct analysis of curriculum documents, classroom delivery or student learning, so they do not establish how consistently the topics were taught or how well students mastered them.
Respondents identified a lack of curriculum time as the main barrier to broader integration, with 74% citing this constraint. Faculty resistance to change was the second most common reported obstacle, mentioned by 37%. The study’s conclusion also identified a weak safety culture as an institutional challenge. Because the research used a cross-sectional perception survey, it cannot determine the causes of the reported curricular gaps or whether changes to courses would affect clinical outcomes.
When asked about teaching methods, 41% of respondents preferred a mix of theoretical and practical classes delivered through both a dedicated patient safety course and other subjects, including clinical rotations. This expressed preference was not an evaluation of any teaching model. Respondents also perceived more patient-safety integration than had been documented in previous reviews of official syllabi. With a 36% response rate and a focus on perceptions among 29 participating academics, the results provide a limited snapshot rather than a representative assessment of all Spanish universities, and the survey did not measure whether any particular curriculum format was more effective than another.
Subject of Research: Faculty perceptions of patient-safety integration in Spanish undergraduate medical curricula
Article Title: Integration of patient safety in Spanish Universities – Professors’ and Deans’ opinions
Article References: Espinel Ruiz, M. A., Fernandez Chavez, A. C., McGee Laso, A., Álvarez León, E. E., Manzano Espinosa, L., & Aranaz Andrés, J. M. (2026). Integration of patient safety in Spanish Universities – Professors’ and Deans’ opinions. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10499-x
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10499-x
Keywords: patient safety, medical education, Spain, medical schools, curriculum integration, WHO recommendations, teamwork, quality improvement, healthcare-associated infections, faculty survey, Integration, patient
Cite Scienmag News
Courtney Benton. (October 21, 2026). Spanish faculty survey finds perceived gaps in patient safety curricula. Scienmag. https://scienmag.com/spanish-faculty-survey-finds-perceived-gaps-in-patient-safety-curricula/
Courtney Benton. "Spanish faculty survey finds perceived gaps in patient safety curricula." Scienmag, 21 October 2026, https://scienmag.com/spanish-faculty-survey-finds-perceived-gaps-in-patient-safety-curricula/. Accessed 21 October 2026.
Courtney Benton. "Spanish faculty survey finds perceived gaps in patient safety curricula." Scienmag. October 21, 2026. https://scienmag.com/spanish-faculty-survey-finds-perceived-gaps-in-patient-safety-curricula/
