SOPS Medical Office Database Submission Information

Guidelines for Use of SOPS Trademarked Surveys and Supplemental Items

The AHRQ Surveys on Patient Safety Culture™ (SOPS^®) Medical Office Database is a central repository for survey data from medical offices that administered the AHRQ survey and choose to submit their data. It is an important resource for patient safety culture improvement. The Database produces a free report of aggregate medical office-level statistics and results by medical office characteristics. Each participating medical office also receives a feedback report comparing their own results to the Database.

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

1. The SOPS Medical Office Survey must have been administered in its entirety without modifications or deletions to the core* survey items.
   • No changes can be made to 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.
   • Do not omit or delete core survey items. Only background questions at the end can be removed.
   • Be sure to include any definitions of terms, subheadings (relettering as needed), 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 at the end.

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

2. Medical offices that administer the SOPS Medical Office Survey with the Diagnostic Safety Supplemental Items and/or the Value and Efficiency Supplemental Items must comply with the following guidelines:
   • No changes can be made to 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 in the survey.

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.

Submitting Data

How to participate:

1. Email DatabasesOnSafetyCulture@westat.com with your complete contact information and "Medical Office Database Submission" in the subject line. Database staff will send registration information to you to complete. This information, along with a copy of the survey(s) administered, will be reviewed to determine your eligibility.
2. Provide the following data elements:
   1. Medical office characteristics such as ownership and type of practice. Follow these specifications (PDF, 212 KB) to gather medical office characteristics.
   2. A copy of the survey(s) actually administered for review and approval.
   3. Signed Data Use Agreement (PDF, 822 KB), which assures medical offices about the confidentiality of their data and explains how their data will be used.
   4. 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.
      1. SOPS Medical Office Survey Data File Specifications (PDF, 215 KB)
      2. SOPS Medical Office Survey Data File Specifications with Diagnostic Safety AND/OR Value and Efficiency Supplemental Items (PDF, 302 KB)

Contact Information

For free technical assistance and support, email DatabasesOnSafetyCulture@westat.com or call 1-888-324-9790.