Effects of Patient Safety Measures on Job Satisfaction of Operating Room Personnel

Background: Surgical interventions are high-risk healthcare services. Increasing awareness over the past years has led to efforts to enhance patient safety. Patients do not represent the only category that must be considered when analyzing adverse events since physicians are also affected. Hence, measures aiming at improving patient safety will inevitably affect both patients and physicians. Aim: The current thesis is aiming at assessing the effects of patient safety measures on job satisfaction of operating room personnel working in an Italian hospital. Methods: Data was collected in mid-March 2014 through 12 semi-structured interviews conducted during two visits to the operating room. Four surgeons, four anesthetists, and four anesthetist nurses were selected randomly on a voluntary basis among clinicians at work. The questionnaire items fell into the following categories: patient care, work burden, professional relationships, and general satisfaction. Thematic data analysis was performed with an inductive approach. Results: Respondents from the three professionals profiles described the Surgical Patient Path to be an efficient patient safety measure. For what concerns their level of job satisfaction, although perceptions varied considerably, most respondents reported positive effects. Data showed that (1) positive effects were emphasized at the highest degree among surgeons in virtue of the perceived progresses in terms of safety both for the patient and for them, (2) anesthetist nurses were facing several problems during the data collection process, (3) perceptions differed among those that had a deeper knowledge on the program due to their managerial position or involvement in the its development and those that had less, and finally (4) participants were lacking information on results of the Surgical Patient Path. Conclusion: According to the findings, communication should be addressed in order to avoid dissatisfaction. Clinicians must be given the tools needed to have a clear understanding of the results that have been achieved with the Surgical Patient Path. This is fundamental for the purpose of ensuring high levels of motivation to perform tasks diligently, harmonize perceptions and increase job satisfaction of anesthetist nurses.