Health System Executive Leadership invites all clinicians and employees across the organization to participate in the 2024 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Culture Survey, which is open through Dec. 15.
What is the AHRQ Survey?
The AHRQ Patient Safety Culture Survey is the industry’s best tool for understanding, promoting, and maintaining a culture of patient safety.
The survey assessment tool is used to assess the status of perceptions about teamwork and the culture of patient safety within healthcare systems. It will help UTMB identify strengths and areas for improvement while also allowing us to make external comparisons against other organizations.
In addition to assessing patient safety culture and teamwork, the surveys assess the following:
The inpatient survey assesses:
- Teamwork within and across units
- Supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting patient safety
- Organizational learning – continuous improvement
- Management support for patient safety
- Overall perception of patient safety
- Feedback and communication about error
- Frequency of events reported
- Communication openness
- Staffing
- Handoffs and transitions
- Non-punitive response to error
The ambulatory survey assesses:
- Teamwork
- Patient care tracking/follow-up
- Overall perceptions of patient safety and quality
- Organizational learning
- Staff training
- Communication about error
- Communication openness
- Office processes and standardization
- Work pace and pressure
What is the survey frequency?
The survey shall be conducted every 18-24 months. In the past, UTMB alternated the timing of the inpatient and ambulatory surveys. This year, we will conduct both surveys simultaneously.
2022 Inpatient Study Results
Our most recent Inpatient AHRQ Patient Safety Culture Study was conducted in October 2022. Fourteen percent (7%) of eligible hospital employees participated in the survey with seven percent (5%) participation in the Ambulatory Survey. Areas of focus for improvement included handoffs and care transitions, organizational learning/continuous improvement, and staffing.
We addressed the following since the last survey:
Culture of Safety
- Shared the survey results with hospital leadership and frontline leaders to gather additional insight
- Monthly Culture of Safety report sent out by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Gulshan Sharma
- All campuses continue to conduct daily safety huddles
- Implemented Journey to Zero in February 2022
- Currently monitoring The Joint Commission actions ensuring all are progressing:
- Suicide Ideation Nurse Screening
- Titration to RASS and to orders
- Pitocin titration to orders
- Moderate sedation, incomplete pre-sedation assessment
Teamwork
- Finding solutions to support staffing across the Health System
- Implementing “leader standard work” to increase efficiency of frontline leaders’ time with patients
- Created several initiatives through the pandemic to address the staffing crisis for both inpatient and ambulatory settings
- Health System Executive Leadership continues regular Gemba’s with their teams
Staffing
- Created a staffing task force to respond to issues identified in the survey and implement action plans across the enterprise
- Initiated STAR Squad in Ambulatory where members receive training and mentoring to expand their skillsets and to open pathways within UTMB to further their own careers
- Partnered with Health Care Systems Staffing to fill employment gaps
Retention
- Evaluated salaries and implemented market adjustments
- Issued merit raises across all entities
- Created double high-needs pay for nursing and ancillary staff
- Created the Critical Staffing Incentive Program (CSIP) with the addition of double high-needs pay for identified nursing and ancillary positions
Recruitment
- Held numerous new graduate hiring fairs
- Held experienced nurses hiring fairs
- Continue to hold job fairs to attract nursing and ancillary staff to meet campus volumes and FY 2025 initiatives
TAKE THE SURVEY HERE