[The measurement of patient safety culture: a literature review].

OBJECTIVE: To determine if patient safety culture is measurable in healthcare organizations, if it has done, and in this case, how it is measured and which aspects have been taken into account.

METHOD: Literature review in the main database with a combination of DeCS and MeSH.

LIMITS: 5 years, English and Spanish and this kind of documents: meta-analysis, clinical trials and systematic reviews. Critical reading was performed by CASPe lists.

RESULTS: We selected 1 qualitative meta-analysis and 4 revisions. In them a thorough study of measurement tools is made. It is noticeable the great variability in content, size and focus. Although most takes into account the dimensions of leadership communication, procedures, personnel and reporting of incidents. Psychometric analysis is not always adequate and only one has established links with the results with certainty. The most qualified questionnaires are Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) and the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC). Both widely used and with an appropriate psychometric analysis.

CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the characteristics that define the patient safety culture is complex. Although the recommended questionnaires are the best at this time, it would be advisable to follow researching in the measuring tools. Patient safety requires an organizational and multidisciplinary approach, however, nursing plays a key role taking into account the rate of preventable adverse events, medication errors, pressure ulcers, lack of information, falls, nosocomial infections, ... are, in largely, within its competence.