Participating in the SOPS Nursing Home Survey Database

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

A nursing home is a facility or a special contained area of a facility that has only licensed nursing home beds and is not an assisted living, community care, or independent living facility.

How To Participate in the Database

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

• Medicare Provider ID and nursing home characteristics.
• A copy of the survey(s) actually administered for review and approval.
• Data Use Agreement, which assures nursing homes 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 nursing home site. Each nursing home, including those from a system, is considered a separate nursing home for submission purposes and must be submitted with a unique site identification number.

Visit the Nursing Home 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 Nursing Home Database must comply with the following guidelines to be included in the Database:

• Administer the SOPS Nursing Home 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.
• 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 survey items in Sections A-E in the SOPS Nursing Home Survey. The core does not include background questions at the end of the survey.

• Nursing homes that administer the SOPS Nursing Home 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 Nursing Home 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.