Evaluation of Safety Attitudes in Endoscopy: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Center

Aims Safety culture is a crucial element in healthcare, playing a vital role in the quality of care and patient safety. In specialized procedures such as endoscopy, where risks can be high, ensuring patient safety is particularly important. The Endo-SAQ (Safety Attitudes Questionnaire) is a solid tool that was developed and validated in the UK to assess and improve safety culture within endoscopy teams. This study aims to describe the strengths and weaknesses regarding safety attitudes within our unit, an essential step to ensure quality care.

Methods We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in October 2024, including residents, endoscopy nurses, and anaesthetists from the endoscopy unit to evaluate safety attitudes specific to endoscopy. All personnel working in the endoscopy unit were eligible to participate, with no relevant exclusion criteria. The questionnaire consists of 37 questions, including 35 from the Endo-SAQ, divided into six domains: teamwork, safety climate, job satisfaction, stress recognition, management perception, and working conditions, along with two epidemiological questions specifying the participant’s gender and role within the unit. Responses are based on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from Strongly Disagree (1pt) to Strongly Agree (5pts). Scores for different items are aggregated for each sub-dimension to obtain an average. A high score (> 75) reflects a positive perception of the safety climate or teamwork, while a low score (< 50) indicates an area needing urgent attention. The questionnaire was distributed and processed anonymously via Redcap.

Results We included 33 participants: 23 endoscopists (residents, specialists, professors), 4 anesthetist nurses, 4 endoscopy nurses, and 2 intensivists. Female participants constituted 69.7% of the sample, with a sex ratio (M/F: 0.43). The overall average positive perception score was 60.8% across all professions. The average scores for each domain were: teamwork (63.78%), professional fulfillment (61.07%), job satisfaction (63.9%), stress management (55.84%), management perception (55.5%), and working conditions (64.75%). Endoscopists reported better stress management (69.5%) compared to the rest of the sample, while endoscopy and anesthetist nurses felt more professionnally fulfilled (68.04%). Statistical analysis showed significant differences in stress management scores between endoscopists and other staff (p<0.05) [1].

Conclusions Improving working conditions in endoscopy is crucial not only for the well-being of healthcare professionals but also for the quality of care provided to patients. Organizing team-building activities, for example, would be beneficial to strengthen team cohesion. In this context, emergency endoscopy simulation courses can enhance professionals’ confidence and thus better stress management.

Publication History

Article published online:
27 March 2025

• References

• 1 Ravindran S, Healey C, Marshall S. et al. PTU-19 The endoscopy safety attitudes questionnaire (ENDO-SAQ): Results of a pilot study. Gut 2021; 70: A51