EXPLORING THE PATIENT SAFETY CLIMATE IN A HOSPITAL IN CARCHI, ECUADOR; A HEALTH STAFF PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In recent years the recording of adverse events associated with health care has presented a challenge in the management of patient safety. An essential aspect is the safety climate that influences individual and organizational behavior, reflected as a set of beliefs and values aimed at reducing risks associated with care. OBJECTIVE: to determine the patient safety climate in a public hospital in Ecuador. METHODOLOGY: descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative, non-experimental study; the instrument "Hospital survey on patient safety culture 2.0" was applied, which evaluated the safety climate; the dimensions were expressed in averages of affirmative, negative and neutral questions; the results were analyzed using the SPSS statistical program. RESULTS: 157 professionals who met the inclusion criteria participated. The dimensions with high affirmative perceptions (≥ 45%), such as organizational learning (52.2%), staff and work pace (50.0%), teamwork (48.2%) and response to error (47.7%), were considered strengths. The dimensions with negative perceptions (≥ 35%), such as openness of communication (36.0%), together with communication about errors, information transfer, management support, event reporting, and supervisor support, suggested opportunities for improvement. CONCLUSION: The perception of safety climate is generally positive, although there are opportunities for improvement that can be addressed to promote a strong safety climate and effective communication among health care staff.