Validation of the Persian Version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to validate the Persian version of the safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ) in Mashhad, Iran. Materials and Methods: The SAQ was distributed to 160 surgical team members at Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad, Iran, in 2019. In total, 150 valid responses were returned. The Cronbach’s α and item-dimension correlations were calculated for reliability assessment. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was also performed to assess the validity using Confirmatory Fit Index (CFI), Expected Cross-Validation Index (ECVI), and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) values. Results: The mean age of the study population was estimated at 28.7 years, and the majority (n=116, 77.3%) of the participants were female. The goodness-of-fit index from the CFA showed a well-founded model fit (CFI=0.8, ECVI=0.8, and RMSEA=0.02). The Cronbach’s α for the scale was calculated at 0.74 within the range from 0.4 (perception of management) to 0.83 (job satisfaction). The SAQ showed good internal consistency reliability. Correlation coefficients for the association between each item and the corresponding dimensions ranged from 0.431 to 0.884, which was regarded as a good correlation. Conclusion: The SAQ was a valid and reliable instrument and could be a useful instrument to measure safety attitudes in hospitals among Iranian populations.