Safety culture in the perception of public-hospital health professionals

• Published in: Revista de saúde pública Vol. 55
• Main Authors: Carvalho, Paloma Aparecida, Amorim, Fábio Ferreira, Casulari, Luiz Augusto, Gottems, Leila Bernarda Donato
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculdade de Saúde Pública da Universidade de São Paulo 01-01-2021; Universidade de São Paulo
• Subjects: Evaluation of Health Programs and Projects; Health Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice; Health Policy & Services; Original; Patient Assistance Team; Patient Safety; Safety management, organization & administration; Patient Assistance Team; Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de Saúde; Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente; Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde; Gestão da Segurança, organização & administração; Health Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice; Patient Safety; Segurança do Paciente; Safety management, organization & administration; Evaluation of Health Programs and Projects
• ISSN: 0034-8910; 1518-8787; 1518-8787
• DOI: 10.11606/s1518-8787.2021055002838

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE Evaluating safety culture in the perception of professionals working in public hospitals of the Unified Health System (SUS) of Distrito Federal, Brazil, three years after the implementation of the National Patient Safety Program (PNSP). METHODS Analytical cross-sectional study conducted in eleven public hospitals using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) in electronic format. Stratified sampling was estimated according to the proportion of the total number of professionals in each hospital, as well as the representativeness of each professional group. The results of the total score and domains equal to or greater than 75 were considered positive. Descriptive and inferential analyses of professional groups and hospitals were carried out. RESULTS 909 professionals participated. The total score by professional group was negative (62.5 to 69.5) and the domains differed statistically in all cases. The eleven hospitals had a negative total score (61.5 to 68.6). The domains to attain positive performance were job satisfaction, stress recognition and teamwork climate. The lowest results were in working conditions and management perception domains, for which none of the hospitals had an average above 75. Differences were also found for domain means across hospitals, except in management perception. DISCUSSION Three years after the implementation of PNSP, the safety culture in eleven hospitals evaluated was weak, although the domains of job satisfaction, stress recognition and teamwork climate had positive results. The results can contribute to decision-making by managers, as safety culture is an essential element in the implementation of patient safety policy.