Safety climate in public hospitals with the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire assessment

Abstract Background To evaluate the safety climate in Brazilian public hospitals using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire from the perspective of professionals working in Brazilian public hospitals. Methods An analytical cross-sectional study of the safety climate carried out in eleven public hospitals. The evaluation was performed using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire in an electronic format. Sampling was stratified, and collection was by convenience. Results equal or greater than 75 were considered positive. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed, and Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney non-parametric statistical tests were used. Results None of the eleven hospitals had a mean over 75. The domains that performed positively above 75 were work satisfaction at all hospitals and perception of stress in nine hospitals. The worst results were for working conditions and management perception, and none of the hospitals had a mean above 75 for these two parameters. Differences in the means of the domains of the questionnaire were found in all hospitals, except for the management perception domain. No professional category had a mean over 75 in all hospitals. Conclusions Because the safety climate in the eleven public hospitals has proven to be negative, actions are suggested to improve this performance since maintaining a safety culture is an important aspect of patient safety. Our research provides a baseline measurement of the safety attitude in the evaluated hospitals, making it possible to guide decision making to implement improvements of the quality of patient care and safety.