Healthcare Attitudes and Perceptions of Professionals on communication, teamwork and patient safetY in a multi-hospital organization. The HAPPY study

Background Effective communication and teamwork are fundamental determinants of patient safety, quality of care and healthcare professionals’ well-being. However, perceptions of these domains often vary across professional roles and organizational settings.Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) Short Form 2006 to assess attitudes towards interprofessional communication, teamwork, leadership, workload and safety culture among healthcare professionals working in a multisite public healthcare authority in Italy. The anonymous questionnaire comprised 36 core items, including five with parallel assessments of unit and medical management, yielding 41 individual statements rated on a 5-point Likert scale. It was completed by 221 participants across different professional categories.Results Respondents reported the highest scores for work perception (mean 3.75 ± 1.11) and communication and collaboration (3.55 ± 0.97), whereas leadership and organizational support showed an intermediate score (3.17 ± 1.06) and workload and stress received the lowest rating (2.14 ± 0.96). Physicians reported significantly higher scores than nurses for communication (p < 0.001) and error management (p < 0.01). Error-related perceptions were significantly associated with perceived communication quality, with the regression model explaining 55.2% of its variance (R2 = 0.552; F = 269.85; p < 0.001).Conclusion This exploratory study identified differences in perceived communication and error management across professional groups, alongside concerns about workload and fatigue. If replicated in independent studies, these findings could inform the design and prospective evaluation of organizational and educational interventions.