Adaptation and validation of safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ-SF ) for use in Poland

Introduction
Safety culture is a crucial component of healthcare quality. Safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ) is a recognized tool for safety culture assessment, and has been adapted to diverse clinical and cultural settings. The aim of this study was to adapt the SAQ to Polish conditions and evaluate its psychometric properties.

Material and methods
Adaptation process involved translation, ensuring linguistic and cultural equivalence, and analysis of reliability and validity. Construct validity was tested using principal component analysis with Varimax rotation (KMO = 0.87). Reliability was assessed with Cronbach’s a.

Results
Factor analysis supported a model explaining 68% of variance. Cronbach’s a ranged from 0.66 to 0.95, with the highest values in perception of management (0.93-0.95), and the lowest in teamwork climate (0.66). Findings were consistent with international validation studies.

Conclusions
The Polish version of SAQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing patient safety climate and identifying areas for improvement in healthcare institutions.