Background: In times of global health crises, there is heightened risk to both patient and professional safety. Several studies have evaluated the safety climate, revealing divergent perceptions among healthcare professionals, often influenced by demographic characteristics. This study aimed to evaluate the percentage of problematic responses (PPR) for the patient safety climate dimensions and to verify if they differ among personal, professional, and work unit variables.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 325 nursing professionals from a teaching hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, considering a significance level and sampling error of 5%.  The subjects were invited through posters with QR codes placed in different units that directed the volunteers to the Google Forms questionnaire. The online format of Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations (PSCHO) - Brazilian version- and demographic variables were used for data collection between July and October 2021. The data were analyzed using Software Analytics Solutions (SAS) version 9.4. Descriptive analysis of the variables was performed, along with comparison tests such as Mann-Whitney, ANOVA, or Kruskal-Wallis, followed by Dunn's or Tukey post hoc tests. The data distribution was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and a significance level of 0.05 was applied to all analyses.
Results: The nursing professionals reported a high percentage of problematic responses (PPR) for most dimensions in the overall results, except for the fear of shame, similar to the findings in the adult intensive care unit. In the pediatric unit they reported lower PPR for fear of shame, overall emphasis on patient safety, psychological safety, collective learning, unit safety norms, and senior managers' engagement. Some of the dimensions of problematic responses were different according to the sex, nursing professional category, work unit, work shift, absence due to health reasons, and other employment (P < 0.05).
Conclusion:  Recognizing and valuing the perception of nursing professionals during the pandemic can offer valuable insights for managers in healthcare organizations. This understanding can assist in enhancing hospital culture and fostering a safer environment for both patients and healthcare providers.