Patient safety culture in the maternal-child area of a university hospital

Cultura de seguridad del paciente en el área materno-infantil de un hospital universitario

ABSTRACT

Objective:  To describe the safety culture of the patient from the perspective of nurses and physicians working in the maternal-child area.

Method:  A cross-sectional study conducted from January to September 2018 with 41 professionals of the Obstetrics Center and obstetric hospitalization of a university hospital in the south of the country. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture was used, with 12 dimensions of the safety culture, measured by means of a general score (0 to 10) and of positive answer percentages to assess strengths and weaknesses.

Results:  The action of supervisors/bosses can be considered a strength of patient safety, with 78.2% of positive answers; already regarding communication, it was considered a fragility, punctuating 13.24%. The general safety grade of the patient assigned to the work’s unit was very good, in a confidence interval of 95%.

Conclusion:  With the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of patient safety, it is possible to plan improvement actions. We emphasize that the non-punitive approach is essential.

Keywords:
Patient safety; Organizational culture; Quality of health care; Maternal and child health