SOPS® Hospital Survey

In 2004, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released the Surveys on Patient Safety Culture® (SOPS®) Hospital Survey to assess provider and staff perceptions of patient safety culture in their hospitals. Since then, thousands of hospitals across the United States and internationally have implemented the survey. In 2019, AHRQ released a new version, the SOPS Hospital Survey 2.0. The original survey—Version 1.0—is still available; however, the use of Version 2.0 is encouraged.

SOPS Hospital Survey 2.0 (released 2019)

Survey Forms

Core Survey

• Hospital Survey 2.0—English (Word, 91 KB; PDF, 388 KB).
• Hospital Survey 2.0—Spanish (Word, 95 KB; PDF, 265 KB).

Survey Items and Composite Measures

• Hospital Survey 2.0 Items and Composite Measures—English (PDF, 121 KB).
• Hospital Survey 2.0 Items and Composite Measures—Spanish and Description of Translation Process (PDF, 129 KB).

Survey Guidance

• AHRQ Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture Version 2.0: User's Guide (PDF, 1 MB): The User's Guide includes information on getting started, selecting a sample, administering web-based and paper surveys, and analyzing data.
• Transitioning to the SOPS Hospital Survey Version 2.0: What’s Different and What To Expect (PDF, 775 KB); Appendixes (PDF, 624 KB): This document provides guidance for hospitals transitioning from the original SOPS Hospital Survey (Version 1.0, released in 2004) to the new version, SOPS Hospital Survey Version 2.0 (released in 2019).
• Frequently Asked Questions About the SOPS Hospital Survey 2.0.

• Pulse Version of the SOPS Hospital Survey 2.0: The Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) Patient Safety Structural Measure (PSSM) Domain 3, Statement A, requires hospitals to conduct a hospital-wide culture of safety survey annually, or every 2 years. If choosing to conduct the survey every 2 years, hospitals must administer a shorter pulse survey on target units during the non-survey year (refer to the CMS PSSM Attestation Guide (PDF, 366 KB), Domain 3, Statement A).
  
  A shorter pulse version of the SOPS Hospital Survey can include a subset of the composite measures and single item measures from the full survey:

  • Selected SOPS composite measures: For the composite measures you select, include ALL the survey items within each selected composite measure.
  • Selected SOPS single-item measures: Any single-item measure can be included (e.g., Number of Events Reported, Patient Safety Rating).

  Hospitals can select measures based on areas targeted for improvement through initiatives implemented, or areas to track to maintain an early warning system for safety issues. Selected SOPS Hospital Survey composite measures and single item measures should be included in the order in which they are presented in the core SOPS Hospital Survey, as outlined in the SOPS Hospital 2.0 Items and Composite Measures document (PDF, 121 KB). 
  
  Developing a shorter pulse version with this approach will enable hospitals to compare their pulse survey results with previous administrations of the full SOPS Hospital Survey, and to the SOPS Hospital Database. 
  
  As an alternative method for conducting a pulse survey, hospitals can administer the full SOPS Hospital Survey to selected staff or units during non-hospital-wide survey years. 
  
  Learn more about how SOPS can help meet the requirements for CMSs PSSM with the following webcast:

  • AHRQ’s Surveys on Patient Safety Culture® Program: An Overview for New Users (Webcast)  

Supplemental Items

Learn more about SOPS-approved supplemental items for the Hospital Survey:

• Health Information Technology Patient Safety Supplemental Items for the Hospital Survey.
• Workplace Safety Supplemental Items for the Hospital Survey.
• Value and Efficiency Supplemental Items for the Hospital Survey.

SOPS Hospital Survey 1.0 (released 2004)

Survey Form

• Hospital Survey 1.0—English (PDF, 327 KB; Word, 187 KB).
• Facility Version 1.0: Replaces the term "hospital" with "facility" (PDF, 254 KB; Word 145 KB).
• Hospital Survey 1.0—Spanish (PDF, 279 KB).

Survey Items and Composite Measures

• Hospital Survey 1.0 Items and Composite Measures—English (PDF, 149 KB).
• Hospital Survey 1.0 Items and Composite Measures—Spanish and Description of Translation Process (PDF 286 KB).

Survey Guidance

• AHRQ Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture Version 1.0: User's Guide (PDF, 1.4 MB): The User's Guide discusses issues and major decisions involved in conducting a survey and reporting the results. The Guide includes information on getting started, selecting a sample, determining data collection methods, establishing data collection procedures, conducting a web-based survey, and preparing and analyzing data, and producing reports.
• Frequently Asked Questions About the SOPS Hospital Survey 1.0.

Additional Resources

The SOPS Program offers resources to assist survey users, including an Action Planning Tool, Data Entry and Analysis Tool, Improvement Resources, SOPS Bibliography, and frequently asked questions.

Webcasts, Podcasts, and Announcements

Learn more about the AHRQ-sponsored webcasts, podcasts, and announcements on the SOPS Program.