Patient safety culture in the Primary Health Care

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate thepatient safety culturein thePrimary Health Care (PHC). Method: A cross-sectional study with 349 health professionals and PHC managers from a city of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The tool used was Safety Attitudes Questionnaire Ambulatory Version. Data-independent double typing and descriptive and inferential statistical analysis were performed. Results: The total score varied between 3.4 and 8.4 with mean (7.0 ± 1.3), positive evaluation in the “Patient Safety” domain (8.2 ± 2.0). Working on the Family Health Strategy and having five to 12 years of work was significant for positive culture. The recommendations to improve the safety culture were: Implementation of protocols, training, communication improvement and resolvability. Conclusion: The patient safety culture prevailed. Establishing a constructive safety culture with safe behaviors represents factors for improving patient safety in Primary Care settings.