Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture: 2009 Comparative Database Report. Table D-2

You Are Here: AHRQ Home > Patient Safety & Medical Errors > Surveys on Patient Safety Culture > Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture: 2009 Comparative Database Report > Table D-2

Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture: 2009 Comparative Database Report

Table D-2. Trending: Item-Level Average Percent Positive Response by Work Area/Unit

#	WorkArea/Unit
#	Anesthesiology	Emergency	ICU (any type)	Lab	Medicine	Obstetrics	Pediatrics	Pharmacy	Psych/Mental Hlth	Radiology	Rehabilitation	Surgery
No. of Hospitals Both Years	42	146	114	164	171	101	62	135	60	161	139	154
No. of Most Recent Respondents	293	3,442	4,032	2,926	7,598	2,600	1,356	1,705	1,174	3,275	2,090	5,282
No. of Previous Respondents	406	3,120	3,895	2,865	6,220	1,876	1,525	1,560	1,220	3,082	1,941	5,328

Patient Safety Culture Composites		Survey	WorkArea/Unit
Patient Safety Culture Composites		Survey	Anesthesiology	Emergency	ICU (any type)	Lab	Medicine	Obstetrics	Pediatrics	Pharmacy	Psych/Mental Hlth	Radiology	Rehabilitation	Surgery
1. Teamwork Within Units	A1—1. People support one another in this unit.	Most Recent	90%	84%	86%	85%	84%	88%	81%	85%	82%	83%	89%	85%
		Previous	83%	82%	84%	81%	79%	78%	80%	82%	74%	82%	88%	80%
		Change	7%	2%	2%	4%	5%	10%	1%	3%	8%	1%	1%	5%
	A3—2. When a lot of work needs to be done quickly, we work together as a team to get the work done.	Most Recent	89%	86%	89%	86%	82%	89%	83%	84%	83%	88%	90%	88%
		Previous	79%	83%	87%	84%	80%	84%	82%	80%	77%	88%	85%	84%
		Change	10%	3%	2%	2%	2%	5%	1%	4%	6%	0%	5%	4%
	A4—3. In this unit, people treat each other with respect.	Most Recent	83%	75%	77%	77%	74%	78%	75%	79%	75%	75%	87%	76%
		Previous	78%	74%	78%	76%	71%	72%	76%	74%	72%	75%	83%	73%
		Change	5%	1%	-1%	1%	3%	6%	-1%	5%	3%	0%	4%	3%
	A11—4. When one area in this unit gets really busy, others help out.	Most Recent	70%	69%	75%	71%	61%	68%	67%	65%	68%	68%	77%	66%
		Previous	69%	67%	70%	70%	59%	63%	69%	63%	61%	66%	72%	62%
		Change	1%	2%	5%	1%	2%	5%	-2%	2%	7%	2%	5%	4%
2. Supervisor/ Manager Expectations & Actions Promoting Patient Safety	B1—1. My supv/mgr says a good word when he/she sees a job done according to established patient safety procedures.	Most Recent	71%	68%	65%	69%	68%	72%	71%	70%	75%	70%	78%	73%
		Previous	63%	69%	66%	67%	66%	65%	66%	69%	62%	70%	73%	69%
		Change	8%	-1%	-1%	2%	2%	7%	5%	1%	13%	0%	5%	4%
	B2—2. My supv/mgr seriously considers staff suggestions for improving patient safety.	Most Recent	77%	73%	72%	74%	73%	75%	81%	77%	77%	77%	84%	77%
		Previous	74%	72%	70%	75%	70%	70%	74%	72%	69%	74%	81%	75%
		Change	3%	1%	2%	-1%	3%	5%	7%	5%	8%	3%	3%	2%
	B3R—3. Whenever pressure builds up, my supv/mgr wants us to work faster, even if it means taking shortcuts.	Most Recent	71%	70%	70%	80%	72%	73%	79%	79%	76%	79%	82%	71%
		Previous	68%	73%	69%	78%	72%	72%	73%	78%	77%	76%	79%	72%
		Change	3%	-3%	1%	2%	0%	1%	6%	1%	-1%	3%	3%	-1%
	B4R—4. My supv/mgr overlooks patient safety problems that happen over and over.	Most Recent	79%	74%	72%	76%	74%	75%	81%	79%	78%	82%	86%	78%
		Previous	71%	72%	71%	74%	74%	71%	67%	77%	72%	77%	79%	75%
		Change	8%	2%	1%	2%	0%	4%	14%	2%	6%	5%	7%	3%
3. Organizational Learning—Continuous Improvement	A6—1. We are actively doing things to improve patient safety.	Most Recent	89%	77%	84%	81%	82%	84%	86%	86%	78%	82%	88%	87%
		Previous	81%	72%	81%	76%	77%	77%	79%	84%	76%	78%	84%	84%
		Change	8%	5%	3%	5%	5%	7%	7%	2%	2%	4%	4%	3%
	A9—2. Mistakes have led to positive changes here.	Most Recent	62%	56%	56%	70%	61%	63%	64%	72%	61%	63%	62%	65%
		Previous	61%	56%	56%	65%	59%	61%	54%	73%	56%	59%	58%	62%
		Change	1%	0%	0%	5%	2%	2%	10%	-1%	5%	4%	4%	3%
	A13—3. After we make changes to improve patient safety, we evaluate their effectiveness.	Most Recent	61%	63%	68%	67%	69%	69%	69%	67%	71%	67%	74%	73%
		Previous	71%	60%	66%	64%	63%	65%	63%	67%	65%	63%	71%	68%
		Change	-10%	3%	2%	3%	6%	4%	6%	0%	6%	4%	3%	5%
4. Management Support for Patient Safety	F1—1. Hospital mgmt provides a work climate that promotes patient safety.	Most Recent	73%	71%	68%	82%	74%	77%	77%	76%	72%	84%	81%	79%
		Previous	81%	71%	68%	81%	73%	74%	76%	74%	69%	81%	83%	76%
		Change	-8%	0%	0%	1%	1%	3%	1%	2%	3%	3%	-2%	3%
	F8—2. The actions of hospital mgmt show that patient safety is a top priority.	Most Recent	66%	64%	60%	74%	67%	71%	68%	70%	68%	74%	77%	70%
		Previous	70%	59%	59%	73%	63%	65%	61%	71%	62%	70%	75%	68%
		Change	-4%	5%	1%	1%	4%	6%	7%	-1%	6%	4%	2%	2%
	F9R—3. Hospital mgmt seems interested in patient safety only after an adverse event happens.	Most Recent	53%	53%	49%	60%	54%	58%	54%	60%	56%	63%	64%	57%
		Previous	58%	49%	49%	59%	53%	53%	58%	60%	52%	58%	63%	57%
		Change	-5%	4%	0%	1%	1%	5%	-4%	0%	4%	5%	1%	0%
5. Overall Perceptions of Patient Safety	A10R—1. It is just by chance that more serious mistakes don't happen around here.	Most Recent	58%	52%	54%	65%	53%	60%	60%	60%	55%	67%	72%	63%
		Previous	61%	52%	55%	65%	54%	56%	64%	62%	57%	63%	70%	60%
		Change	-3%	0%	-1%	0%	-1%	4%	-4%	-2%	-2%	4%	2%	3%
	A15—2. Patient safety is never sacrificed to get more work done.	Most Recent	52%	55%	54%	73%	55%	59%	62%	65%	61%	76%	75%	66%
		Previous	56%	55%	50%	70%	51%	55%	60%	61%	63%	73%	74%	64%
		Change	-4%	0%	4%	3%	4%	4%	2%	4%	-2%	3%	1%	2%
	A17R—3. We have patient safety problems in this unit.	Most Recent	57%	50%	55%	68%	50%	59%	62%	60%	48%	73%	71%	66%
		Previous	57%	52%	51%	70%	49%	57%	60%	61%	48%	71%	71%	65%
		Change	0%	-2%	4%	-2%	1%	2%	2%	-1%	0%	2%	0%	1%
	A18—4. Our procedures and systems are good at preventing errors from happening.	Most Recent	70%	60%	63%	78%	64%	70%	73%	73%	66%	76%	79%	76%
		Previous	71%	59%	63%	78%	60%	65%	66%	71%	61%	72%	77%	71%
		Change	-1%	1%	0%	0%	4%	5%	7%	2%	5%	4%	2%	5%
6. Feedback and Communication About Error	C1—1. We are given feedback about changes put into place based on event reports.	Most Recent	59%	47%	45%	52%	49%	56%	54%	50%	59%	52%	61%	54%
		Previous	46%	48%	47%	51%	49%	53%	52%	50%	48%	53%	59%	49%
		Change	13%	-1%	-2%	1%	0%	3%	2%	0%	11%	-1%	2%	5%
	C3—2. We are informed about errors that happen in this unit.	Most Recent	61%	55%	54%	71%	55%	61%	63%	71%	71%	70%	72%	66%
		Previous	60%	56%	51%	68%	56%	57%	61%	66%	58%	69%	69%	66%
		Change	1%	-1%	3%	3%	-1%	4%	2%	5%	13%	1%	3%	0%
	C5—3. In this unit, we discuss ways to prevent errors from happening again.	Most Recent	78%	62%	63%	73%	65%	69%	68%	73%	73%	70%	80%	74%
		Previous	76%	62%	62%	71%	62%	65%	67%	72%	67%	69%	76%	72%
		Change	2%	0%	1%	2%	3%	4%	1%	1%	6%	1%	4%	2%
7. Communication Openness	C2—1. Staff will freely speak up if they see something that may negatively affect patient care.	Most Recent	71%	72%	75%	77%	70%	78%	78%	78%	78%	77%	84%	79%
		Previous	81%	70%	70%	74%	69%	75%	74%	77%	70%	74%	81%	78%
		Change	-10%	2%	5%	3%	1%	3%	4%	1%	8%	3%	3%	1%
	C4—2. Staff feel free to question the decisions or actions of those with more authority.	Most Recent	48%	48%	45%	46%	40%	48%	52%	57%	54%	46%	58%	48%
		Previous	58%	45%	48%	45%	40%	49%	52%	52%	49%	47%	53%	50%
		Change	-10%	3%	-3%	1%	0%	-1%	0%	5%	5%	-1%	5%	-2%
	C6R—3. Staff are afraid to ask questions when something does not seem right.	Most Recent	68%	61%	61%	64%	55%	64%	62%	71%	67%	66%	70%	64%
		Previous	71%	59%	61%	66%	55%	61%	65%	69%	59%	62%	67%	64%
		Change	-3%	2%	0%	-2%	0%	3%	-3%	2%	8%	4%	3%	0%
8. Frequency of Events Reported	D1—1. When a mistake is made, but is caught and corrected before affecting the patient, how often is this reported?	Most Recent	55%	48%	45%	57%	52%	55%	52%	48%	58%	47%	54%	57%
		Previous	33%	45%	46%	55%	50%	46%	46%	46%	50%	44%	56%	53%
		Change	22%	3%	-1%	2%	2%	9%	6%	2%	8%	3%	-2%	4%
	D2—2. When a mistake is made, but has no potential to harm the patient, how often is this reported?	Most Recent	57%	53%	54%	61%	60%	57%	58%	57%	60%	50%	57%	61%
		Previous	44%	56%	53%	59%	57%	54%	54%	53%	52%	47%	56%	57%
		Change	13%	-3%	1%	2%	3%	3%	4%	4%	8%	3%	1%	4%
	D3—3. When a mistake is made that could harm the patient, but does not, how often is this reported?	Most Recent	65%	71%	70%	80%	75%	74%	75%	75%	77%	70%	73%	77%
		Previous	59%	71%	71%	78%	71%	75%	71%	72%	70%	66%	72%	75%
		Change	6%	0%	-1%	2%	4%	-1%	4%	3%	7%	4%	1%	2%
9. Teamwork Across Units	F2R—1. Hospital units do not coordinate well with each other.	Most Recent	32%	36%	36%	44%	44%	38%	38%	41%	35%	45%	45%	41%
		Previous	39%	41%	37%	43%	44%	38%	41%	42%	31%	43%	46%	39%
		Change	-7%	-5%	-1%	1%	0%	0%	-3%	-1%	4%	2%	-1%	2%
	F4—2. There is good cooperation among hospital units that need to work together.	Most Recent	50%	47%	51%	60%	57%	57%	56%	52%	50%	59%	61%	55%
		Previous	54%	48%	52%	57%	54%	54%	51%	56%	44%	57%	60%	51%
		Change	-4%	-1%	-1%	3%	3%	3%	5%	-4%	6%	2%	1%	4%
	F6R—3. It is often unpleasant to work with staff from other hospital units.	Most Recent	53%	48%	59%	57%	60%	58%	55%	56%	59%	56%	63%	53%
		Previous	61%	47%	53%	56%	60%	54%	56%	53%	56%	55%	60%	56%
		Change	-8%	1%	6%	1%	0%	4%	-1%	3%	3%	1%	3%	-3%
	F10—4. Hospital units work well together to provide the best care for patients.	Most Recent	64%	56%	62%	68%	65%	65%	63%	63%	59%	68%	70%	64%
		Previous	63%	59%	57%	64%	64%	61%	55%	64%	55%	65%	65%	61%
		Change	1%	-3%	5%	4%	1%	4%	8%	-1%	4%	3%	5%	3%
10. Staffing	A2—1. We have enough staff to handle the workload.	Most Recent	59%	41%	50%	49%	46%	54%	59%	47%	48%	64%	54%	54%
		Previous	49%	44%	49%	54%	46%	43%	53%	48%	45%	60%	54%	53%
		Change	10%	-3%	1%	-5%	0%	11%	6%	-1%	3%	4%	0%	1%
	A5R—2. Staff in this unit work longer hours than is best for patient care.	Most Recent	38%	50%	54%	53%	49%	53%	54%	54%	49%	61%	59%	48%
		Previous	33%	49%	53%	51%	50%	48%	53%	54%	49%	60%	58%	49%
		Change	5%	1%	1%	2%	-1%	5%	1%	0%	0%	1%	1%	-1%
	A7R—3. We use more agency/temporary staff than is best for patient care.	Most Recent	69%	60%	65%	67%	63%	75%	73%	67%	65%	73%	69%	69%
		Previous	57%	59%	61%	65%	64%	69%	76%	61%	64%	69%	70%	69%
		Change	12%	1%	4%	2%	-1%	6%	-3%	6%	1%	4%	-1%	0%
	A14R—4. We work in "crisis mode" trying to do too much, too quickly.	Most Recent	46%	38%	45%	48%	47%	51%	53%	49%	51%	58%	61%	50%
		Previous	44%	43%	46%	46%	44%	44%	56%	45%	44%	59%	59%	50%
		Change	2%	-5%	-1%	2%	3%	7%	-3%	4%	7%	-1%	2%	0%
11. Handoffs & Transitions	F3R—1.Things "fall between the cracks" when transferring patients from one unit to another.	Most Recent	35%	44%	35%	31%	46%	46%	43%	26%	36%	43%	36%	39%
		Previous	34%	48%	38%	29%	44%	43%	37%	24%	26%	42%	39%	40%
		Change	1%	-4%	-3%	2%	2%	3%	6%	2%	10%	1%	-3%	-1%
	F5R—2. Important patient care information is often lost during shift changes.	Most Recent	42%	55%	57%	43%	52%	65%	59%	33%	48%	47%	41%	46%
		Previous	40%	55%	58%	44%	50%	58%	53%	32%	45%	46%	46%	47%
		Change	2%	0%	-1%	-1%	2%	7%	6%	1%	3%	1%	-5%	-1%
	F7R—3. Problems often occur in the exchange of information across hospital units.	Most Recent	37%	44%	39%	38%	46%	47%	39%	31%	34%	43%	39%	40%
		Previous	37%	45%	39%	36%	43%	40%	42%	30%	34%	38%	42%	40%
		Change	0%	-1%	0%	2%	3%	7%	-3%	1%	0%	5%	-3%	0%
	F11R—4. Shift changes are problematic for patients in this hospital.	Most Recent	36%	44%	53%	41%	52%	61%	46%	34%	41%	42%	37%	37%
		Previous	33%	45%	56%	41%	50%	56%	48%	37%	45%	43%	41%	38%
		Change	3%	-1%	-3%	0%	2%	5%	-2%	-3%	-4%	-1%	-4%	-1%
12. Nonpunitive Response to Error	A8R—1.Staff feel like their mistakes are held against them.	Most Recent	55%	44%	46%	54%	47%	49%	54%	61%	56%	51%	64%	52%
		Previous	48%	41%	45%	51%	47%	44%	57%	59%	46%	50%	63%	52%
		Change	7%	3%	1%	3%	0%	5%	-3%	2%	10%	1%	1%	0%
	A12R—2.When an event is reported, it feels like the person is being written up, not the problem.	Most Recent	38%	40%	40%	44%	43%	44%	47%	55%	57%	46%	55%	48%
		Previous	44%	37%	40%	43%	42%	38%	45%	52%	41%	45%	55%	49%
		Change	-6%	3%	0%	1%	1%	6%	2%	3%	16%	1%	0%	-1%
	A16R—3.Staff worry that mistakes they make are kept in their personnel file.	Most Recent	37%	29%	29%	35%	32%	33%	28%	46%	41%	37%	52%	38%
		Previous	25%	27%	30%	34%	31%	30%	34%	44%	31%	36%	49%	36%
		Change	12%	2%	-1%	1%	1%	3%	-6%	2%	10%	1%	3%	2%

Note: The item's survey location is shown to the left. An "R" indicates a negatively worded item, where the percent positive response is based on those who responded "Strongly disagree" or "Disagree," or "Never" or "Rarely" (depending on the response category used for the item).

Return to Appendix D