Feature: Next Steps with Your MHS Patient Safety Culture Survey Results

Washing your hands is one way to prevent the spread of disease, including swine flu. While emphasizing caution, the surgeon general of the Army said there's no reason to be alarmed by swine flu, because there are treatments available. "There is no cause for panic or alarm," wrote Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, U.S. Army surgeon general in his blog. "Antiviral drugs are available in the event you become ill; and there are preventive measures you can take to stay healthy." The Army Medical Command recommends Soldiers and their families avoid contracting the swine flu by avoiding those who already have the flu, and by washing their hands often.

The simple act of washing hands is a best practice that supports a patient safety culture.

EArlier this year, Military Health System (MHS) staff at military treatment facilities (MTFs) worldwide completed the 2016 MHS Patient Safety Culture Survey (Culture Survey). The data from this survey is key in aiding the MHS journey towards high reliability. Staff from across the MHS, including inpatient facilities, outpatient facilities and dental clinics, were invited to participate in the anonymous and confidential web-based Culture Survey.

The DoD Patient Safety Program provides several resources, including webinars and office hours, to help patient safety professionals understand and analyze their results and determine what to do next to help focus their improvement efforts.

Webinar Recordings available in the Patient Safety Learning Center
Sep. 14 Webinar - Culture Survey: Here are Your Results Oct. 5 Webinar - Culture Survey: What To Do With Your Results

Most recently, webinar participants learned how to plan improvement steps:

Secure leadership support
Form a change team
Hold a team kick-off meeting
Develop an action plan
- Define goals and select an "initiative"
- Plan the initiative (intervention)
- Communicate the action plan

The DoD Patient Safety Program provides other resources, guides and tools to patient safety professionals across the services to ensure recognized best practices are implemented in their patient safety efforts. Patient safety professionals who use the Culture Survey interactive reporting tool, understand their facility's unique results, identify strengths and areas of opportunity, and can translate that data into actions for improvements which directly contribute to the MHS's journey of becoming a high reliability organization.

The Culture Survey captured staff perceptions of patient safety at their MTFs and was intended to:

Raise awareness about patient safety issues across the organization
Diagnose and assess the current state of patient safety culture in all MHS facilities
Identify strengths and areas for patient safety culture improvement
Examine trends in patient safety culture change over time
Provide actionable data for fostering a safer patient care environment in all MHS settings

The Culture Survey focused on topics such as communication openness, hospital handoffs and transitions, organization learning, staffing, teamwork and overall perceptions of safety. Recordings from previous webinars and other resources about the Culture Survey, including the recently developed Culture Survey Reference Guide are available in the Patient Safety Learning Center.