Healthcare provider perceptions of safety culture: A multi-site study using the safety attitudes questionnaire.

Introduction: Patient safety culture, the way in which members of a healthcare organisation think about and prioritise safety, has been linked to positive patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to use the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) to measure the safety culture in a variety of healthcare settings located in the province of Munster of Ireland. Methods: The SAQ was applied in six healthcare settings in the Munster province of Ireland between December 2017 and November 2019. The attitudes of healthcare staff towards six domains of safety culture were assessed over 32 Likert-scaled items. The mean, median, interquartile range and percent positive scores for each domain were calculated for the study population, and subgroup analyses were carried out between study sites and professions. Results for each setting were compared to international benchmarking data. Chi-Squared tests were used to determine whether study site or profession were related to domain scores. Reliability analysis was carried out using Cronbach's alpha. Results: Study participants (n = 1749) comprising doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and healthcare assistants, were found to have positive attitudes towards patient safety culture but scored poorly in the domains Working Conditions and Perceptions of Management. Perceptions of safety culture were more positive in smaller healthcare settings, and amongst nurses and HCAs. The survey had acceptable internal consistency. Conclusions: In this study investigating the safety culture of healthcare organisations in Ireland, study participants had generally positive attitudes towards the safety culture in their organisation, however working conditions, perceptions of management, and medication incident reporting were identified as key areas for improvement.

Exercise as a therapeutic intervention for motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease: Evidence from rodent models.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterised by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal pathway, which leads to the cardinal motor symptoms of the disease - tremor, rigidity and postural instability. A number of non-motor symptoms are also associated with PD, including cognitive impairment, mood disturbances and dysfunction of gastrointestinal and autonomic systems. Current therapies provide symptomatic relief but do not halt the disease process, so there is an urgent need for preventative strategies. Lifestyle interventions such as aerobic exercise have shown potential to lower the risk of developing PD and to alleviate both motor and non-motor symptoms. However, there is a lack of large-scale randomised clinical trials that have employed exercise in PD patients. This review will focus on the evidence from studies on rodent models of PD, for employing exercise as an intervention for both motor and non-motor symptoms.