Health care workers' perception of safety culture in the hospital has been widely studied, but there is comparatively less evidence regarding safety culture in primary care. This survey of physicians and nurses at 472 primary care practices in Switzerland revealed findings similar to those in the inpatient setting. For example, nurses generally had a lower perception of safety climate than physicians. Staff at multi-specialty or hospital-affiliated clinics generally perceived stronger safety climate than staff at single physician practices, as did practices that regularly held team meetings or participated in quality improvement activities. The study used a modified version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire.