Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to assess and examine the impact of physicians-nurses performance on patient perceptions on safety, trust and satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach– A cross-sectional study of 170 inpatients at 78 Chinese hospitals has been conducted. A structured questionnaire covering multiple constructs was used to collect the data. Methodology is described and results are discussed.

Findings– Multivariate regression results show that despite the variations in education and training of physicians and nurses, trust is statistically significant in the models with doctors performance and nurses performance as dependent variables. One surprise result is that patient safety is not statistically significant in the regression model with NP as dependent variable.Practical implications– Doctor and nurses as well as other staff at any healthcare setting or ward should provide patients with high-quality and safe healthcare. Competences and performance of physicians and nurses are the primary source of patient safety.

Practical implications– Doctor and nurses as well as other staff at any healthcare setting or ward should provide patients with high-quality and safe healthcare. Competences and performance of physicians and nurses are the primary source of patient safety.