title: The virgin land of quality management: a first measure of patient safety climate at the National Hospital of the Faroe Islands.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Faroe Islands are formally part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but the islands enjoy extensive autonomy as home ruled. In Denmark, extensive quality management initiatives have been implemented throughout hospitals, this was not the case in the Faroese Islands in 2013. The purpose of this study is to investigate the patient safety culture in the National Hospital of the Faroe Islands prior to implementation of quality management initiatives.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Danish version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ-DK) was distributed electronically to 557 staff members from five medical centers of the hospital, and one administrative unit. SAQ-DK has six cultural dimensions. The proportion of respondents with positive attitudes and mean scale scores were described, and comparison between medical specialties, and between clinical leaders and frontline staff was made using analysis of variance and chi-square test, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 65.8% (N=367). Job satisfaction was rated most favorable, and the perceived culture of the top management least favorable. Safety climate was the dimension with the greatest variability across the 28 units. The diagnostic center had the most favorable culture of all centers. More leaders than frontline staff had positive attitudes toward teamwork and safety climate, and working conditions, respectively. Also, the leaders perceived these dimensions more positive than the frontline staff, P<0.05. Among three management levels, the unit management was perceived most favorable and the top management least favorable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The management group is recommended to raise awareness of their role in supporting a safe and caring environment for patients and staff, moreover the leaders should ensure that every day work achieves its objectives; keeping the patients safe. Furthermore, following the development in patient safety culture over time is recommended.
authors.affiliation: The Danish Clinical Registries, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Denmark.
authors.forename: Solvejg
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kristensen
authors.affiliation: National Hospital of the Faroe Islands, Torshavn, Faroe Islands.
authors.forename: Naina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Túgvustein
authors.affiliation: National Hospital of the Faroe Islands, Torshavn, Faroe Islands.
authors.forename: Hjørdis
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zachariassen
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Svend
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabroe
authors.affiliation: The Danish Clinical Registries, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bartels
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark; Aalborg University Hospital, Psychiatry, Aalborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mainz
keywords: clinical leaders; frontline staff; medical specialties; patient safety culture; safety attitudes questionnaire