Improved Safety Culture and Teamwork Climate Are Associated With Decreases in Patient Harm and Hospital Mortality Across a Hospital System.
Autor: Berry, Janet C.; Davis, John Terrance; Bartman, Thomas; Hafer, Cindy C.; Lieb, Lindsay M.; Khan, Nadeem; Brilli, Richard J.
Publication year: 2020
Journal of patient safety
issn:1549-8425 1549-8417
doi: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000251
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: Improved safety and teamwork culture has been associated with decreased patient harm within specific units in hospitals or hospital groups. Most studies have focused on a specific harm type. This study’s objective was to document such an association across an entire hospital system and across multiple harm types. METHODS: The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) was administered to all clinical personnel (including physicians) before, 2 years after, and 4 years after establishing a comprehensive patient safety/high-reliability program at a major children’s hospital. Resultant data were analyzed hospital-wide as well as by individual units, medical sections, and professional groups. RESULTS: Safety attitude scores improved over the 3 surveys (P < 0.05) as did teamwork attitude scores (P = nonsignificant). These increases were accompanied by contemporaneous statistically significant decreases in all-hospital harm (P < 0.01), serious safety events (P < 0.001), and severity-adjusted hospital mortality (P < 0.001). Differences were noted between physicians' and nurses' views on specific safety and teamwork items within individual units, with nursing scores often lower. These discipline-specific differences decreased with time. CONCLUSIONS: Improved safety and teamwork climate as measured by SAQ are associated with decreased patient harm and severity-adjusted mortality. Discrepancies in SAQ scores exist between different professional groups but decreased over time. Language: eng Rights: Pmid: 26741790 Tags: Humans; Reproducibility of Results; Female; Male; Child; Adolescent; Child, Preschool; Surveys and Questionnaires; *Organizational Culture; Hospital Mortality/*trends; Hospitals, Pediatric/*standards; Patient Harm/*trends; Patient Safety/*statistics & numerical data; Safety Management/*methods Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26741790/
