Exploring attitudes toward safety climate: a cross-sectional study among interventional radiology team members using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ)

Interventional radiology (IR) has evolved into a well-established medical discipline known for its minimally invasive procedures. Establishing a culture of safety in IR settings is crucial to improve patient safety and quality of care. This study describes and compares attitudes about patient safety among professionals working with IR in Sweden. In addition, this study evaluates whether the WHO Safety Checklist for IR is routinely used for radiological interventions.

This cross-sectional survey uses an electronic questionnaire to collect data from 25 IR units. The attitudes of IR team members (radiographers, physicians, nurses, and assistant nurses) were assessed using the Swedish Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ), which was adapted for this context.

The two highest factor scores/percentages of positive responses from the IR team were found for job satisfaction (90/94%) and teamwork climate (85/92%), and stress recognition had the lowest values (54/25%). The attitudes were relatively consistent, with few significant differences between the professions (Factor scores: P = 0.039 for job satisfaction, and P = 0.050 for working conditions. Percentage of positive responses: P = 0.027 for perceptions of management). The radiographers tended to have slightly lower values compared to the other professions among these factors (P < 0.05). The WHO safety checklist for IR was not being used on a regular basis, but the respondents recognized its importance for patient safety.

This study shows high factor scores for the different safety climate factors, with job satisfaction having the highest values. Areas that need improvement are perceptions of management and stress recognition. Attitudes were consistent across professions in the IR team, but radiographers had slightly lower values in some aspects.