NURSING PERCEPTION OF PATIENT SAFETY CULTURE

Abstract

The aim of the study was to identify areas of strength and opportunity for continuous improvement, as perceived by the nursing staff in relation to safety culture in the care of patients in a General Hospital Health System, in Tampico, Tamaulipas, México. Method: The study was a quantitative and descriptive cross-sectional design, made in a secondary care hospital. The sample consisted of 195 nurses on probability sampling by shifts. The data collection for the analysis of safety culture was through a survey type indicator: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-AHQR, validated to the Spanish context as Questionnaire on patient safety: Spanish version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety. Results: The dimensions perceived as strengths are teamwork in the unit/service and organizational learning. The dimensions perceived to continuous improvement were: staffing, no punitive response to errors, management support hospital patient safety, perceived safety, problems with shift changes and transitions between departments/units and openness of communication. Safety climate was assessed with an average of 7.35. The highest percentage reported no adverse events associated with health care. Conclusions: The indicator used identified the global perception of the nursing staff to safety in patient care, identifying six dimensions problem with opportunity for continuous improvement, as well as two strong dimensions within the safety culture.