The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) is used worldwide to study safety culture in hospitals. The aim of this research was to study the psychometric properties ofthePortuguese version of the HSOPSC applied to radiographers and to evalute safety culture in radiographers perspective.

This research was a cross-sectional study developed in three different public radiology departments from the Algarve region. The sample of this research was 67 radiographers, selected by convenience. The variables measured were the perception of radiographers regarding patient safety, the number and frequency of events reporting and the patient safety grade. The instrument used was the HSOPSC, that consists of 42 questions measured on a five-points likert scale grouped into 12 dimensions ofpatient safety culture. The survey applcation was paper based, and was directly delivered.

The Cronbach's alpha, indicating the internal consistency of the survey was 0.89. Most of the respondents were female (61%). Only 7.5% have the bachelors degree. All the others have higher edicational level. Most of the respondents (70%) work as radiographer for 15 years, or less. Only 2 respondents work less than 35 hours per week. In the dimension "supervisor expectations/actions promoting patient safety" 70% of the radiographers stated that supervisor has a positive role. In the dimension "organizational learning - continuous improvement" 63% of the...

The psychometric properties of the questionnaire need further investigations to beregarded as reliable in imaging departments. Classification of the dimensions should guide cuturedevelopment of safety culture improving action plans. The areas in need of intervention are “Nonpunitive Response to Error” and “Hospital Management Support for Patient Safety”. Improvingsafety culture is essential to increase the healthcare quality provided in the imaging departments.

Advisory Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations. (1993). Organizing for Safety: Third Report of the ACSNI. Sudbury: HSE Books. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2012). Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Consulted in 14 October 2012, through:http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/patientsafetyculture/hospsurvindex.htm Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (s.d.). Safety Culture.Consulted in4 December2012, through:http://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer.aspx?primerID=5. Baker, G. (2004). The Canadian Adverse Events Study: the incidence of adverse events among hospital patients in Canada. CMAJ; 170(11): 1678-1686. Chen, I. & Li, H. (2010). Measuring patient safety culture in Taiwan using...