Healthcare Workers: Occupational Health Promotion and Patient Safety Pilar Baylina 1 & Carla Barros 2 & Carla Fonte 2 & Sónia Alves 2 & Álvaro Rocha 3 Abstract The purpose of the present study was to explore the relation of work-related risk factors and well-being among healthcare workers and the impact on patient safety, using the Health and Work Survey (INSAT) and Mental Health Continuum - Short Form (MHC- SF). A sample of 361 Portuguese healthcare workers participated in this study. The results indicate some significant work-related risk factors: for emotional well-being, Impossible to express myself (β = -0.977), Not having recognition by superiors (β = -1.028) and Have to simulate good mood and/or empathy (β = -1.007); for social well-being, Exposed to the risk of sexual discrimination (β = -2.088), Career progress is almost impossible (β = -1.518), and Have to hide my emotions (β = -2.307); finally for psychological well-being Exposed to the risk of sexual discrimination (β = -2.153), Career progress is almost impossible (β = -1.377), and Have to simulate good mood and/or empathy (β = -3.201). The results showed high levels of well-being despite the exposure of several risk factors at workplace. Regarding the work-related risk factors, the study showed that most of the participants are exposed to several risk factors at workplace (ranging from environmental risk factors, biological to physical), although psychosocial risk factors (work relations with superiors and colleagues, employment relations, and emotional demands) are the ones that most impact on well-being. Keywords Well-being dimensions . Work-related risk factors . Psychosocial work factors . Healthcare workers . Patient safety Introduction Occupational health and well-being According to the World Health Organization, health can be defined as Ba state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not as merely the absence of disease or infirmity^ . Therefore, if this definition is applied to the work- place, it implies that health at work does not only concern the physical and mental integrity of workers but should also aim at promoting well-being at work [1, 2]. In recent years, due to structural changes, the workplace is now regarded as a determinant of the individual’ s health and well-being [3]. Among numerous risks found in the workplace, such as envi- ronment factors, toxicological factors and physical factors, psychosocial risks emerge as a challenge to occupational health research field [4–6]. Within this context, the role of workplace on mental health is gaining attention as work is a significant part of an individual’ s life and can affect both mental health and well-being. During the past few years, mental health was operational- ized as global state of well-being, given rise to two traditions of study: the eudaimonic and hedonic. The eudaimonic per- spective understands well-being as the result of virtuous ac- tivities and the meaning given to life and integrates the Ryff ’ s theory of psychological well-being [7] and Keyes’ social well- being construct [8]. The psychological well-being proposed by Ryff [7], comprises six dimensions (self-acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, positive relations with others, autonomy, and environmental mastery) associated with the challenges that individuals encounter as they strive to realize their potential. Keyes [8, 9] proposed a model of social well-being with five dimensions (social integration, so- cial contribution, social coherence, social actualization, and social acceptance) and focuses on the individuals’ evaluations of their public and social lives. From the eudaimonic point of 1 Health School, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 400 4200 - 072 Porto, Portugal 2 University Fernando Pessoa, Praça de 9 de Abril 349, 4249-004 Porto, Portugal 3 Department of Informatics Engineering, University of Coimbra, Pólo II - Pinhal de Marrocos, 3030-290 Coimbra, Portugal