Objective  To investigate current situation and influencing factors of patient safety culture among medical staff in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals (TCMH) and to provide references for improving patient safety culture.

  Methods  We carried out a survey among 1 000 medical staff recruited with convenience sampling in 4 tertiary and 3 secondary class-A TCMH in Shanghai city during January and April 2015. A self-designed questionnaire and Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations (PSCHO, Chinese Version) were used in the study.

  Results  Of the 947 participants with valid information, 318 (33.58%) were males and 629 (66.42%) were females; 513 (54.17%) and 434 (45.83%) were from secondary and tertiary hospitals. The average overall score for cognition on patient safety culture was 3.49 ± 0.38, indicating a slightly above moderate level of patient safety culture among the participants. The results of multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that the participants′ level of patient safety culture was significantly influenced positively by the grade of their host hospital (regression coefficient = 0.093) but reversely by their years of professional experience; the results also demonstrated that working in a special department and being a nurse exerted negative impact on patient safety level of the participants significantly, with the regression coefficients of – 0.176 and – 0.123, respectively.

  Conclusion  The patient safety culture is at a good level and influenced by multiple factors among medical staff in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals in Shanghai city but measures still need to be implemented to promote patient safety culture among the professionals.