PATIENT SAFETY: CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM IN IMPROVING HEALTHCARE QUALITY

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.5157282602044

• Palavras-chave: patient safety; multidisciplinary team; safety culture; quality of healthcare; teamwork.

• Keywords: patient safety; multidisciplinary team; safety culture; quality of healthcare; teamwork.

• Abstract:

  Patient safety has established itself as an essential dimension of care quality and as one of the main indicators of organizational maturity in health systems. In a scenario marked by clinical complexity, the growing use of technologies, the fragmentation of care pathways, and the interdependence among multiple professional categories, it is insufficient to analyze the occurrence of preventable harm solely from the perspective of individual error. This article aims to discuss, in light of scientific literature and national and international regulatory frameworks, the main challenges and achievements of the multidisciplinary team in promoting patient safety. This is a narrative review of a theoretical-reflective nature, based on documents from the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, the Ministry of Health, the National Health Surveillance Agency, and indexed studies addressing safety culture, interprofessional communication, continuing education, patient participation, and incident reporting. The analysis shows that challenges persist in areas such as ineffective communication, a punitive culture, underreporting of adverse events, work overload, discontinuity of care, and weak interprofessional integration. On the other hand, the field has also seen significant advances, such as the institutionalization of patient safety in public policies, the creation of Patient Safety Centers, the dissemination of basic protocols, the strengthening of a culture of organizational learning, and the growing emphasis on patient and family participation in care. It is concluded that patient safety depends on the integration of technical competencies, interprofessional collaboration, institutional leadership, continuing education, and an ethical commitment to the prevention of avoidable harm.