Table 4.
Patient Safety Culture Composites
| Patient Safety Culture Composite | Definition: The extent to which.... | Number of Survey Items |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Communication openness | Staff will freely speak up if they see something that may negatively affect patient care, and feel free to question those with more authority | 3 |
| 2. Feedback & communication about error | Staff are informed about errors that happen, given feedback about changes put into place based on event reports, and discuss ways to prevent errors | 3 |
| 3. Frequency of events reported | Mistakes of the following types are reported: 1) mistakes caught and corrected before affecting the patient, 2) mistakes with no potential to harm the patient, and 3) mistakes that could harm the patient, but do not |
3 |
| 4. Handoffs & transitions | Important patient care information is transferred across hospital units and during shift changes | 4 |
| 5. Management support for patient safety | Hospital management provides a work climate that promotes patient safety and shows that patient safety is a top priority | 3 |
| 6. Nonpunitive response to error | Staff feel that their mistakes are not held against them, and mistakes are not kept in their personnel file | 3 |
| 7. Organizational learning--Continuous improvement | Mistakes have led to positive changes and changes are evaluated for their effectiveness | 3 |
| 8. Overall perceptions of patient safety | Procedures and systems are good at preventing errors and there is a lack of patient safety problems | 4 |
| 9. Staffing | There are enough staff to handle the workload and work hours are appropriate to provide the best care for patients | 4 |
| 10. Supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting safety | Supervisors/managers consider staff suggestions for improving patient safety, praise staff for following patient safety procedures, and do not overlook patient safety problems | 4 |
| 11. Teamwork across units | Hospital units cooperate and coordinate with one another to provide the best care for patients | 4 |
| 12. Teamwork within units | Staff support one another, treat each other with respect, and work together as a team | 4 |