Questionnaire on Patient Safety Culture for Hospitals by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and its applicability in Japan

Abstract

Patient safety culture at healthcare organizations plays an important role in guaranteeing, improving and promoting overall patient safety. Although several conceptual frameworks have been proposed in the past, so far, no standard measurement tool has been developed for Japan. The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality developed patient safety survey tools and began to use them for collecting and analyzing data and improving safety. They include three kinds of survey tools for hospitals, nursing homes and clinics. Each survey tool consists of a self-registered type questionnaire by healthcare staff and of 3 domains and 12 categories. The categories reflect the roles of 3 different types of healthcare organizations. To research the possibility to introduce the same tools in Japan, a pilot study was undertaken using 3 acute care hospitals in Japan. The study results suggest that the survey tool (for hospitals) could be used in Japan. Further studies though are needed to demonstrate the reliability and validity of the tools for use in Japan.