March 5, 2010

VUMC taking part in safety survey

VUMC taking part in safety survey

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is participating in the Survey of Patient Safety Culture, a short survey developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to ensure that all federal agencies involved in purchasing, providing, studying or regulating health care services are working together and toward a common goal of improving the quality of care.

“There is no more noble an endeavor for our institution than fostering a culture of safety and well-being for our patients,” said C. Wright Pinson, M.D., MBA, deputy vice chancellor for Health Affairs and senior associate dean for Clinical Affairs. “Because these behaviors are essential to our core mission and provide the foundation for the care we provide, we want to hear from you.”

The AHRQ Survey is designed as a safety culture assessment tool pertaining to safety, error and accidents, as well as error reporting.

The survey is designed to measure four patient safety outcomes: overall perceptions of safety; frequency of events reported; number of events reported; and an overall patient safety grade.

The survey's design allows participants to select specific options for their work area — Vanderbilt University Hospital, Vanderbilt Medical Group and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Participating in this survey will provide both AHRQ and VUMC leadership a candid assessment of the patient safety culture.

All information from the survey will remain confidential and will be reported in aggregate.

“This is your opportunity to provide feedback on the culture of safety in your work environment,” said Marilyn Dubree, M.S.N, R.N., executive chief nursing officer. “I want to assure you the information we receive will be used by leadership to make positive improvements in our care processes.

“The survey takes only a few minutes and will provide important information for the safety and well-being of our patients. So we ask you to please take time to provide this valuable feedback.”

To take the survey, please go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SCSVUMC.