Patient Safety in Nuclear Medicine: Work Process Analysis From the SEIPS Model Perspective

This study aimed to analyze the work process of a Nuclear Medicine department using the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) 3.0 framework to identify system factors influencing patient safety. A single-case, experience-based system analysis was conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital in Brazil, with direct and participatory observation carried out from January to June 2025. Field notes were mapped to the five SEIPS 3.0 domains: person, task, technology, physical environment, and organization, aiming at analytic transferability rather than statistical generalization. The findings revealed that safety barriers included standardized screening, QR code–based patient identification, and multiprofessional coordination, while vulnerabilities were associated with fragmented interdepartmental communication and the absence of structured near-miss reporting. Nursing professionals played a central role in workflow coordination and risk mitigation. The application of the SEIPS 3.0 framework enabled comprehensive process mapping and the identification of opportunities for improvement, contributing to the strengthening of patient safety culture in technologically complex nuclear medicine environments.