How Safety Culture Surveys Influence the Quality and Safety of Healthcare Organisations

Abstract

Objectives

Safety culture surveys have been widely used in healthcare for more than two decades predominantly as a tool for measuring the level of safety culture (as defined as the beliefs and attitudes that staff express about how their organisation ought to work and how it does in fact work). However, there is the potential for the survey process itself to influence the safety culture and working practices in departments and organisations. The objective of this study was to identify the mechanism by which these changes might occur.

Design, setting and participants

Mixed methods combining qualitative semi-structured interviews and quantitative scores from patient safety surveys.

This evaluation was conducted across general practice, community and acute hospitals in...