The patient safety climate is a key element of quality in healthcare. It should be a priority in the healthcare systems of all countries in the world. The goal of patient safety programs is to prevent errors and reduce the potential harm to patients when using healthcare services. A safety climate is also necessary to ensure a safe working environment for healthcare professionals. The attitudes of healthcare workers toward patient safety in various aspects of work, organization and functioning of the ward are important elements of the organization’s safety culture. The aim of this study was to determine the perception of the patient safety climate by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study was conducted in five European countries. The Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) short version was used for the study. A total of 1061 healthcare workers: physicians, nurses and paramedics, participated in this study. Results: All groups received the highest mean results on the stress recognition subscale (SR): nurses 98.77, paramedics 96.39 and physician 98.28. Nurses and physicians evaluated work conditions (WC) to be the lowest (47.19 and 44.99), while paramedics evaluated perceptions of management (PM) as the worst (46.44). Paramedics achieved statistically significantly lower scores compared to nurses and physicians in job satisfaction (JS), stress recognition (SR) and perception of management (PM) (p < 0.0001). Paramedics compared to nurses and physicians rank better in working conditions (WC) in relation to patient safety (16.21%). Most often, persons of lower seniority scored higher in all subscales (p = 0.001). In Poland, Spain, France, Turkey, and Greece, healthcare workers scored highest in stress recognition (SR). In Poland, Spain, France, and Turkey, they assessed working conditions (WC) as the worst, while in Greece, the perception of management (PM) had the lowest result. Conclusion: Participant perceptions about the patient safety climate were not at a particularly satisfactory level, and there is still a need for the development of patient safety culture in healthcare in Europe. Overall, positive working conditions, good management and effective teamwork can contribute to improving employees’ attitudes toward patient safety. This study was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic and should be repeated after its completion, and comparative studies will allow for a more precise determination of the safety climate in the assessment of employees.

IntroductionImproving patient safety is one of the most critical components of modern healthcare. Emergency medical services (EMS) are, by nature, a challenging environment for ensuring patient safety. It is fast-paced, physically dangerous, and highly stressful, requiring rapid decision-making and action. This can create risks not only for patients but also for employees. We assessed variations in perceptions of safety culture in prehospital emergency care among an international sample of paramedics and nurses.MethodsThe Emergency Medical Services Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (EMS-SAQ) was used for the study. The instrument measures six domains of safety culture in the workplace: teamwork climate, job satisfaction, safety climate, working conditions, stress recognition, and perceptions of management. A total of 1,128 EMS from 9 countries participated in this study.ResultsSafety Climate was 81.32/100 (SD 6.90), Teamwork Climate 84.14/100 (SD 8.74), Perceptions of Management 76.30/100 (SD 10.54), Stress Recognition 89.86/100 (SD 5.70), Working Conditions 81.07/100 (SD 9.75), and Job Satisfaction 70.71/100 (SD 7.21). There was significant variation in safety culture scores across countries for teamwork climate (TWC), working conditions (WC), and job satisfaction (JS). Among the individual variables (age, gender, level of education, and work experience), variations in safety culture scores were unaffected by age, gender, or work experience. Organizational characteristics: employment status and position type were linked to significant variations in safety culture domain scores.ConclusionParticipants’ perceptions of the patient safety climate were not particularly satisfactory, confirming that there is still a need to develop a culture of patient safety in prehospital emergency care.

IntroductionA good working climate increases the chances of adequate care. The employees of Emergency in Hospitals are particularly exposed to work-related stress. Support from management is very important in order to avoid stressful situations and conflicts that are not conducive to good work organization. The aim of the study was to assess the work climate of Emergency Health Services during COVID-19 Pandemic using the Abridged Version of the Work Climate Scale in Emergency Health Services.DesignA prospective descriptive international study was conducted.MethodsThe 24-item Abridged Version of the Work Climate Scale in Emergency Health Services was used for the study. The questionnaire was posted on the internet portal of scientific societies. In the study participated 217 women (74.5%) and 74 men (25.4%). The age of the respondents ranged from 23 to 60 years (SD = 8.62). Among the re-spondents, the largest group were Emergency technicians (85.57%), followed by nurses (9.62%), doctors (2.75%) and Service assistants (2.06%). The study was conducted in 14 countries.ResultsThe study of the climate at work shows that countries have different priorities at work, but not all of them. By answering the research questions one by one, we can say that the average climate score at work was 33.41 min 27.0 and max 36.0 (SD = 1.52).ConclusionThe working climate depends on many factors such as interpersonal relationships, remuneration or the will to achieve the same selector. In the absence of any of the elements, a proper working climate is not possible.