Objective To understand the challenges faced in terms of permanent education in health, for achieving quality improvements and patient safety at a public hospital undergoing hospital accreditation. Methods This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study with a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 professionals, lasting an average of 22 minutes. The interviews were subsequently analyzed and interpreted using Bardin’s thematic content analysis. The software Iramuteq was used to analyze the textual corpus, and BioEstat 5.3 was used to analyze the profile of the participants. The data collection took place in June 2022, following approval by the Research Ethics Committees. Results The descending hierarchical classification analysis, generated by Iramuteq, was applied, resulting in three categories: Challenges of Permanent Education through the Continuous Improvement Process, Permanent Education for the Promotion of Quality and Patient Safety in the Context of Hospital Accreditation, and Educational Strategies for Improving Quality and Patient Safety. Conclusion Challenges inherent to the actions of permanent education in health were identified, such as resistance to cultural change, adherence to activities, high turnover of professionals, and difficulty in releasing the nursing team to participate in activities, due to work demand.