Attitudes towards patient safety among physicians and nurses in Iranian governmental teaching hospitals: a cross-sectional survey

To assess and compare attitudes towards patient safety among physicians and nurses in Iranian governmental teaching hospitals and to identify factors associated with attitudes towards patient safety. An institution-based, cross-sectional survey was carried out from July to August 2023. 10 governmental teaching hospitals in Tehran, Iran. The study participants comprised a random sample of 186 nurses and 90 physicians who had worked for at least 6 months in their current hospitals. The primary outcome measures were mean and SD scores for individual items and the nine main patient safety domains assessed by the Attitudes Toward Patient Safety Questionnaire-III. The secondary outcome measure was the proportion of physicians and nurses who responded positively to each item, expressed as percentages for each group. Physicians and nurses exhibited moderately positive attitudes towards patient safety (mean scores of 3.79±0.33 and 3.83±0.36, respectively). Both professional groups reported the most positive attitudes in the same dimensions: 'team functioning' and 'working hours as a cause for error' (mean scores of >4 out of 5). Conversely, the lowest scores were observed in 'importance of patient safety in the curriculum', indicating potential gaps in their understanding of patient safety (mean scores of