Better Safe than Sorry: University Hospital Launches New Patient Safety Program
From the wake-up call sounded by the 1999 Institute of Medicine report, To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System to more recent research by Beth McGlynn and colleagues at RAND—which documented that the healthcare system delivers the right care to patients only half of the time—hospitals are increasingly criticized for providing care that is not as safe as it should be.
As the only San Antonio hospital to ranked by US News and World Report as one of America’s Best Hospitals, University Hospital is rolling out “Better Safe than Sorry,” a new patient safety initiative that aims to create no less than a systemwide culture of safety.
The first step – a survey of employees and physicians – is an online survey developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Organizations working to develop or improve a culture of safety need a reliable measure to monitor the success of their initiatives. That’s why University Hospital selected the AHRQ’s Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.
Using this survey tool, UHS researchers can gain information about the perceptions of front-line clinical staff about safety in their patient care areas and management’s commitment to safety. The survey also provides information about how perceptions vary across different departments and disciplines.
Employees may access the confidential survey by clicking on survey.UniversityHealthSystem.com.
“Paper” surveys may be obtained by calling Mary Anne Peinneman at 358.1579.