Perception of nursing and medical professionals on patient safety in neonatal intensive care units.

Objective: To describe patient safety in the perception of nursing and medical professionals of neonatal intensive care units.

Method: Exploratory and descriptive study with a qualitative approach, using the instrument Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture for data collection. Twenty-eight nursing and medical professionals of three neonatal intensive care units in the city of Florianópolis, state of Santa Catarina, participated in the study, from 2013 to 2015. Content thematic analysis was used for data analysis.

Results: The following categories emerged: perception and strategies for patient safety; risk factors that interfere with patient safety; challenges in the communication of errors associated with health care.

Conclusions: Patient safety in the perception of professionals reflected the importance of safe care and the identification of risk factors in work conditions, predisposing to errors. Communication of risk situations, development of safety culture, and qualification are of utmost importance.