Patient safety attitudes of paediatric trainee physicians

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Assessing patient safety attitudes among trainee physicians is crucial for improving healthcare quality.
• Understanding the nuances of trainee attitudes towards independent versus interdependent care is essential for targeted training.
• Previous research has highlighted varying levels of comfort among trainees in different aspects of patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure the patient safety attitudes of trainee physicians in an academic pediatric hospital.
• To differentiate attitudes towards independent versus interdependent patient care among trainees.
• To explore the impact of experience (fellow vs. resident) on these attitudes.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was conducted.
• 209 trainee physicians at an academic pediatric hospital participated.
• The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (Inpatient Version) and a specific trainee survey were utilized.

Main Results:

• Trainees reported more positive attitudes towards independent care (e.g., job satisfaction, safety climate) than interdependent care (e.g., teamwork climate, stress recognition).
• Specific trainee survey results indicated higher scores for independent aspects (clinical supervision, communication with seniors) versus interdependent aspects (handoffs, role identification during codes, support after adverse events).
• Fellows reported higher independent care scores than residents, but no significant difference was found for interdependent care scores.

Conclusions:

• Trainee physicians are more comfortable with independent patient care than interdependent care.
• Physician experience may enhance independent care abilities but not necessarily interdependent care skills.
• Patient safety culture instruments can provide insights for implementing targeted improvements in trainee education and patient care.