Participating in the SOPS Medical Office Survey Database

The SOPS^® Medical Office Database is a central repository for survey data from medical offices in the United States or in a U.S. territory that administer the AHRQ survey and choose to submit their data. The SOPS Medical Office Database Report presents aggregated results for all participating medical offices as well as results by medical office and respondent characteristics. Each participating medical office also receives a feedback report comparing their results with the Database. 

Upcoming Data Submission

• Data submission will be open September 1-22, 2023. 
• Medical offices may submit their most recent survey data administered between November 2021 and September 2023. 

Each medical office must have at least 10 completed surveys to participate in the Database.

How To Participate in the Database

Organizations that want to participate in the Medical Office Survey Database will be asked to register for an account and provide the following information: 

• Medical office characteristics such as ownership and type of practice.
• A copy of the survey(s) actually administered for review and approval.
• Data Use Agreement, which assures medical offices about the confidentiality of their data and explains how their data will be used.
• Respondent-level survey data following the appropriate data file specifications for each medical office site. Each medical office, including those from a system, is considered a separate medical office for submission purposes and must be submitted with a unique site identification number.

Visit the Medical Office Survey Database Submission System for additional information and specifications and to register to submit data.

Requirements To Participate in the Database

All submissions of survey data to the SOPS Medical Office Database must comply with the following guidelines to be included in the Database:

• Administer the SOPS Medical Office Survey in its entirety without modifications or deletions to the core* survey items.
• Do not change the core survey item text and/or response options. Changes can only be made to the background questions at the end of the survey. If staff positions are modified, they need to be cross-walked back to the original survey categories before submitting data.
• Do not reorder core survey items.
• Be sure to include any definitions of terms, subheadings, and instructions in the survey.
• Do not insert new items or supplemental items within the core survey—they should only be added toward the end of the survey, right before the background questions.

*Note: Core survey items are the items in Sections A-G in the SOPS Medical Office Survey. The core does not include background questions at the end of the survey.

• Medical offices that administer the SOPS Medical Office Survey with any SOPS supplemental item set(s) must comply with the following guidelines:
  • Do not change the supplemental survey item text and/or response options.
  • Do not reorder supplemental survey items.
  • Do not omit or delete supplemental survey items.
  • Be sure to include any definitions of terms, subheadings, and instructions from the supplemental item set.

To determine whether a survey is acceptable for submission to the SOPS Medical Office Database prior to survey administration, email a copy of the survey to DatabasesOnSafetyCulture@westat.com for review.

Contact Information

For free technical assistance and support, contact the SOPS Database team:

• Email: DatabasesOnSafetyCulture@westat.com 
• Phone: 1-888-324-9790.