title: Patient safety culture in Norwegian primary care: a study in out-of-hours casualty clinics and GP practices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to investigate patient safety attitudes amongst health care providers in Norwegian primary care by using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire, in both out-of-hours (OOH) casualty clinics and GP practices. The questionnaire identifies five major patient safety factors: Teamwork climate, Safety climate, Job satisfaction, Perceptions of management, and Working conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study. Statistical analysis included multiple linear regression and independent samples t-tests.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven OOH casualty clinics and 17 GP practices in Norway.
  
  
  METHODS
  In October and November 2012, 510 primary health care providers working in OOH casualty clinics and GP practices (316 doctors and 194 nurses) were invited to participate anonymously.
  
  
  METHODS
  To study whether patterns in patient safety attitudes were related to professional background, gender, age, and clinical setting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall response rate was 52%; 72% of the nurses and 39% of the doctors answered the questionnaire. In the OOH clinics, nurses scored significantly higher than doctors on Safety climate and Job satisfaction. Older health care providers scored significantly higher than younger on Safety climate and Working conditions. In GP practices, male health professionals scored significantly higher than female on Teamwork climate, Safety climate, Perceptions of management and Working conditions. Health care providers in GP practices had significant higher mean scores on the factors Safety climate and Working conditions, compared with those working in the OOH clinics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that nurses scored higher than doctors, older health professionals scored higher than younger, male GPs scored higher than female GPs, and health professionals in GP practices scored higher than those in OOH clinics - on several patient safety factors.
authors.affiliation: Research Group for General Practice, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Gunnar Tschudi
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Bondevik
authors.forename: Dag
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hofoss
authors.forename: Elisabeth Holm
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Ellen Catharina Tveter
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Deilkås
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D039602:After-Hours Care; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D009726:Nurses; D015279:Organizational Culture; D061214:Patient Safety; D010820:Physicians; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adverse events; Norway; Safety Attitudes Questionnaire; general practice; medical errors; out-of-hours; patient safety culture; primary care