Patient safety: social representations from the perspective of primary health care professionals

Abstract

Objective: To apprehend the social representations of patient safety from the perspective of health professionals inserted in the context of Primary Health Care. Methods: This is a qualitative study that used the theoretical and methodological framework of the theory of social representations carried out in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. A total of 18 social participants of the Family Health Strategy were part of the study. Data were collected from September to October 2019 through semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using the thematic content analysis method, from which the following categories emerged: “Social representations of patient safety in the Family Health Strategy”; “Social representations of risk and preventive strategy for patient safety in the Family Health Strategy”; “Weaknesses in patient safety in the Family Health Strategy”. Results: The social representations apprehended from the Family Health Strategy professionals’ accounts characterize patient safety as a social space for professionals and patients to interact. Professionals, in their practice, use resources to improve care, but emphasize the existence of risks, and it is important to develop preventive strategies such as appropriate techniques, disinfection and sterilization. In addition, they highlight the presence of weaknesses in the work routine that interfere with patient safety, such as physical structure and lack of materials. Conclusion: Health professionals demonstrate, through anchoring and objectification, that they must apply the concepts of patient safety in social settings, but they need managers to provide input and structure that favor the provision of care.