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Nurses are in a key position to improve the quality of healthcare through patient safety interventions and strategies. However, there is a general misunderstanding of the effects of the numerous and complex work environment factors on patient safety. This qualitative study aims to explore nurses' perceptions of patient safety aspects in an emergency setting. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 Registered Nurses from an emergency ward in a large general hospital located in northeastern Brazil. Conventional content analysis in which analysis is gained without imposing preconceived categories was used to analyze the collected data. The findings were clustered in three main categories: Barriers and facilitators for the adoption of patient safety practices, Training on patient safety issues, and Nursing role on the quality of patient safety. Nurses reported that the factors influencing patient safety include: lack of resources, hospital overcrowding, excessive workload, lack of training, and ineffective communication. Our results suggest that patient safety in the emergency wards could be improved by developing and reinforcing a safety culture and by providing the necessary infrastructure and support mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]