Table 2 HSOPSC survey items for each patient safety culture composite

Communication Openness

 1. Staff will freely speak up if they see something that may negatively affect patient care.

 2. Staff feel free to question the decisions or actions of those with more authority.

 3. Staff are afraid to ask questions when something does not seem right. (reverse coded)

Feedback & Communication About Error

 1. We are given feedback about changes put into place based on incident reports.

 2. We are informed about incidents that happen in this department.

 3. In this department, we discuss ways to prevent incidents from happening again.

Teamwork Within Units

 1. People support one another in this department.

 2. When a lot of work needs to be done quickly, we work together as a team to get the work done.

 3. In this department, people treat each other with respect.

Frequency of Events Reported

 1. How often is a near miss reported?

 2. How often is a Severity Assessment Code (SAC) 4 reported?

 3. How often is a SAC 3 reported?

 4. How often is a SAC 2 reported?

 5. How often is a SAC 1 reported?

Teamwork Across Units

 1. There is good cooperation among facility units that need to work together.

 2. Facility departments work well together to provide the best care for patients.

 3. Facility units do not coordinate well with each other. (reverse coded)

 4. It is often unpleasant to work with staff from other departments within the facility. (reverse coded)

Management Support for Patient Safety

 1. Facility management provides an environment that promotes patient safety.

 2. The actions of facility management show that patient safety is a top priority.

 3. Management seems interested in patient safety only after an incident happens. (reverse coded)

Supervisor/Manager Expectations & Actions Promoting Patient Safety

 1. My supervisor/manager acknowledges when he/she sees a job done according to established patient safety procedures.

 2. My supervisor/manager seriously considers staff suggestions for improving patient safety.

 3. Whenever pressure builds up, my supervisor/manager wants us to work faster, even if it means taking shortcuts. (reverse coded)

 4. My supervisor/manager overlooks patient safety problems that happen over and over. (reverse coded)

Non-punitive Response to Errors

 1. Staff feel like their mistakes are held against them. (reverse coded)

 2. When an event is reported, it feels like the person is being written up, not the problem. (reverse coded)

 3. Staff worry that mistakes they make are kept in their personnel file. (reverse coded)