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.

Upcoming Data Submission

• Data submission will be open October 1-21, 2024.
• Nursing homes may submit their most recent data from surveys administered between October 2022 and October 2024.

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.

Benefits of Participating

Organizations that contribute their data to the Nursing Home Survey Database will receive:

• Access to free technical assistance to answer any questions and help with data submission.
• A private, customized feedback report that compares their survey results to overall findings aggregated across participants in this database.
• Access to database products, including:
  • The SOPS Nursing Home Survey Database Report that provides overall findings and results by nursing home characteristics and staff respondent characteristics.
  • The SOPS Nursing Home Data Entry and Analysis Tool, which enables users to enter their survey data and automatically create tables and graphs of the survey results.
  • Research datasets that provide de-identified data for approved research purposes.

Accepted Versions of the Survey and Supplemental Item Sets

The AHRQ Surveys on Patient Safety Culture™ (SOPS^®) Nursing Home Database accepts data from the following:

• SOPS Nursing Home Survey, with or without supplemental item sets:
  • Workplace Safety Supplemental Item Set 

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. 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 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.