Healthcare professionals’ perceptions of patient safety culture and teamwork in intrapartum care: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background In complex healthcare organizations, such as intrapartum care, both patient safety culture and teamwork are important aspects of patient safety. Patient safety culture is important for the values and norms shared by interprofessional teams in an organization, and such values are principles that guide team members’ behavior. The aim of this study was 1) to investigate differences in perceptions of patient safety culture and teamwork between professions (midwives, physicians, nursing assistants) and between labor wards in intrapartum care and 2) to explore the potential associations between teamwork and overall perceptions of patient safety and frequency of events reported. Methods The design was cross-sectional, using the Swedish version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (14 dimensions) and the TeamSTEPPS® Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire (5 dimensions). Midwives, physicians, and nursing assistants in three labor wards in Sweden in 2018 were included. Descriptive statistics, the Kruskal–Wallis H test, two-way ANOVA, and standard multiple regression analysis were used. Results The questionnaires were completed by 184 of the 365 healthcare professionals, giving a response rate of 50.4%. Two-way ANOVA showed a significant main effect of profession on two patient safety culture dimensions and one teamwork dimension and a significant main effect of labor ward on four patient safety culture dimensions and four teamwork dimensions. A significant interaction effect of profession and labor ward was found on four patient safety culture dimensions and four teamwork dimensions. The regression analysis revealed that four out of the five teamwork dimensions explained 40% of the variance in the outcome dimension ´Overall perceptions of patient safety´. Conclusions The results of the study indicate that profession and labor ward are important for healthcare professionals' perceptions of patient safety culture and teamwork in intrapartum care. Teamwork perceptions are significant for overall patient safety.

Patient Safety Culture in Latin American Hospitals: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

“…Similar to studies conducted in other countries [ 38 , 120 , 152 ], the findings from the current review indicated nurses from Latin American countries perceived higher levels of quality improvement and teamwork contributed to patient safety culture despite poor staffing. The impact of teamwork on patient safety culture probably results from nurses being the core hospital staff with the most direct contact with patients since they are responsible for the continuity of care from diagnostic and therapeutic management to hospital discharge [ 153 ].…”

Safety culture in maternity hospital: Perception of nurse‐midwives

“…The future perspective should be to adopt strategies that contribute to developing a safety culture that reduces the frequency and severity of errors in healthcare institutions (Skoogh et al, 2022).…”

“…Understanding professionals' perceptions of patient safety culture is critical to disseminating knowledge and increasing awareness, resulting in actions and improvements in the care of women (Skoogh et al, 2022).…”

“…The culture of safety in maternity hospitals is a priority area for the World Health Organization and for health institutions worldwide, since the birth of a child is a unique moment in the life of a woman and her family, who has the right to a positive, safe and respectful experience (Skoogh et al., 2022). The World Patient Safety Day goals 2021, consisted of improving maternal and newborn safety, reducing maternal mortality, promoting respectful care for a safe childbirth, reporting and analysing safety incidents, reducing unnecessary practices to women and newborns, strengthening the capability of health workers and improving a safe use of medication and blood transfusion during childbirth (World Health Organization, 2021).…”

“…The future perspective should be to adopt strategies that contribute to developing a safety culture that reduces the frequency and severity of errors in healthcare institutions (Skoogh et al., 2022). Building safety into the processes of caring for women, babies and families is an urgent need, and this requires knowing the safety culture, identifying existing weaknesses in maternity care and instigating proactive attitudes in all actors involved in order to overcome personal and organizational challenges (Akbari et al., 2017).…”