Safety Performance in Acute Medical Care: A Qualitative, Explorative Study on the Perspectives of Healthcare Professionals

Healthcare professionals need specific safety performance skills in order to maintain and improve patient safety. The purpose of this study is to get a deeper understanding of healthcare professionals' perspective in acute care on the topic of safety performance. This study was conducted using a qualitative approach. Healthcare professionals working in nursing were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Using content analyzing, categories were identified which present aspects of safety performance; subcategories were developed deductively. A total of 23 healthcare professionals were interviewed, of which 15 were registered nurses, five were nursing students and three were pedagogical personnel. Nine (39.1%) were < 30 years old, 17 (73.9%) were female, and 9 (39.1%) had a leadership function. Results highlight the importance of safety performance as a construct of occupational health rather than of patient safety, and the role of the organization, as well as the self-responsibility of healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals should be more conscious of their role, have a deeper understanding of the interaction of individual, team, patient, organization and work environment factors.