On-Line Patient Safety Climate Survey: Tool Development and Lessons Learned
Abstract
A key tenet of patient safety programs is the elimination of the "culture of blame." The On-line Patient Safety Climate Survey was developed to evaluate the corporate safety climate of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD). The survey tool was designed to measure willingness to report errors, problem-solving processes, and perceptions of the leadership's concern for patient safety. The survey included two demographic questions, 19 items using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree), and one text item that asked respondents to identify the number one safety issue at their facility. After the instrument was tested to evaluate its psychometric properties, it was administered at 37 military hospitals and clinics in an effort to establish a systemwide baseline. In 2001, staff at 37 medical treatment facilities (MTFs) participated in the survey (N = 10,769). The overall systemwide score (all respondents) was positive (2.96), and analyses of specific items demonstrated that error reporting was an area of concern. The OnLine Patient Safety Survey demonstrated adequate psychometric properties and the ability to provide an accurate assessment of the overall safety climate across the various clinical treatment facilities of an organized health care system. The results provided information useful for establishing a corporate baseline and identifying specific quality improvement needs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA434743
Entities
People
- Judy L. Powers
- Lynne M. Connelly
Organizations
- United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality