Informational profile of public service dentists on patient safety in dental treatment

Abstract

Aim: To analyze the perceptions of public service dentists on informational aspects regarding patient safety in dental care. Materials and methods: Descriptive research in which a composite outcome was constructed to present the perceptions of research subjects on the subject. The outcome proposes the perception of three informational aspects related to patient safety: knowledge about the notification system, knowledge about the National Patient Safety Program (PNSP) and information about safety available in the workplace. Data collection took place online, through a self-administered questionnaire, with dental surgeons working in the public health service in Porto Alegre/RS. Results: Of the total number of 47 participants, 74.4% were women, 91.4% declared themselves to be white, 65.9% were 31 years of age or older, 74.5% had graduated more than five years and 59.6% worked in the Unified Health System for more than 5 years. The prevalence of the outcome was 12.8%. When separately analyzing each outcome variable, the prevalence was 34% for knowledge about the reporting system, 34% for the knowledge in regards of the National Patient Security Program and for the presence of information available in the workplace was 38.3%. Discussion: The results point to the need to work on informational issues with these professionals so that in the stressful day-to-day work, patient safety is something naturally present during dental care in the workspaces. Conclusion: It is concluded that reports of dental incidents were few and the informational context on the subject needs to be worked on so that patient safety is always the focus of attention in dental practice.