Patient safety (PS) culture is the set of values and norms common to the individuals of an organization. Assessing the culture is a priority to improve the quality and PS of hospital services. This study was carried out in a tertiary hospital to analyze PS culture among the professionals and to determine the strengths and weaknesses that influence this perception. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out. The AHRQ Questionnaire on the Safety of Patients in Hospitals (SOPS) was used. A high perception of PS was found among the participants. In the strengths found, efficient teamwork, mutual help between colleagues and the support of the manager and head of the unit stood out. Among the weaknesses, floating professional templates, a perception of pressure and accelerated pace of work, and loss of relevant information on patient transfer between units and shift changes were observed. Among the areas for improvement detected were favoring feedback to front-line professionals, abandoning punitive measures and developing standardized tools that minimize the loss of information.

The capacity of hospitals and primary care centres has, rightfully, been at the centre of public and political debate on resource availability and control measures during the outbreak of COVID-19 and lockdown. Thus, the aim of this study is to describe the public and professional perceptions towards the evolution of the COVID-19 public-health response, in order to analyse and learn lessons for future health policies in similar situations in the future. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted through 41 in-depth interviews between January and June 2021. Twenty-one healthcare professionals and twenty service users participated in our study. The participants were recruited using purposive sampling. After our data analysis, three main themes emerged: (i) experiences during an unprecedented public health threat: the impact and challenges of early control measures, and outcomes for the public image of nursing; (ii) overcoming the impact of the outbreak on the healthcare system: professional coping strategies in the context of the pandemic, and institutional considerations in hospitals and primary care; and (iii) the efficiency of resource management during the outbreak: perceptions of professionals and healthcare users. Health providers and service users demand structural and organisational changes, as well as resource-optimisation strategies for front-line workers. Nurses need to be involved in decision making in order to provide evidence-based guidelines and ensure well-resourced and supported care practice.