Factors influencing the patient safety climate in Intensive Care Units.

Background: Measuring the patient safety climate of a health service provides important information about the safety status at a given time. Objective: To determine the factors influencing the patient safety climate in Intensive Care Units. Methodology/design:

An analytical and cross-sectional study conducted in 2017 and 2018. Setting: Two adult Intensive Care Units of a Brazilian Teaching Hospital. Main outcomes measures: The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire instrument was applied with the multidisciplinary teams to determine the factors influencing the patient safety climate. Results: A total of 84 healthcare providers participated in the study. The mean Safety Attitudes Questionnaire score was 59.5, evidencing a negative climate. The following factors influenced the safety climate: time since course completion, professional category, type of employment contract, complementary professional training, and weekly workload. Conclusions: The factors identified indicate items for planning improvements in communication, teamwork, work processes, and management involvement, aiming to ensure care safety and construct a supportive safety climate.