Research on Safety Culture in Surgical Departments of BC Hospitals

1. Research on Safety Culture in Surgical Departments of BC Hospitals

2. Background • Safety culture = shared beliefs and patterns of behaviour that determine how we work together to achieve quality care. • Safety culture affects patient outcomes. Communication breakdown leads to compromise in the point of care, resulting in patient harm. (Maxfield, Grenny et al. 2005) • Safety culture is also important for its effects on provider experience. There is strong evidence for the connection between culture and items such as staff turnover and job satisfaction. (Huang, Clermont et al. 2007)

3. Benefits of the Research • Promotes the work of the BC surgical community. • Assesses the impact of culture on patient and provider experience in BC by answering the question 'Does culture matter?' • Evaluates the potential improvements in patient and provider experience as a result of culture interventions; in other words, 'Is it worth investing in culture interventions?' • Identifies the mechanisms and causal ingredients of successful culture initiatives. • Provides an opportunity to make a novel contribution to the academic literature.

4. Research Questions • Is safety culture in surgical departments in BC correlated with clinical outcomes, rates of adverse event reporting, overtime, sick time and/or staff turnover? • Can a conscious effort to change safety culture lead to culture change?

5. Data Requested

6. How can I be involved? • Health Authorities and Surgeon Leads are invited to enrol and agree to submit data starting in Spring 2013. • Identify one individual to act as a research liaison who will assist with the collection and release of data. Data provision will require less than 5 hours of staff time. • Health authorities and physicians that wish to be co-investigators in this research are invited to participate to a greater degree, although this is not required.

7. Information Webinars! Friday Feb 22, 201309.00 – 10.00 PSTTo join the online session, click hereTo join by teleconference only: 1-877-668-4490Access Code: 629 430 051 We will review the proposed research and answer your questions. We will also go over the next steps and how to enrol. Thursday Mar 7, 201307.00 – 08.00 PSTTo join the online session, click hereTo join by teleconference only: 1-877-668-4490Access Code: 624 197 333 Note: Both sessions will cover the same content. • For more information: • Visit http://bcpsqc.ca/clinical-improvement/sqan/research/ • -OR- • Contact: • Rebecca Brooke • Email: rbrooke@bcpsqc.ca • Tel: 604 668 8227

8. References • Huang, D. T., G. Clermont, J. B. Sexton, C. A. Karlo, R. G. Miller, L. A. Weissfeld, K. M. Rowan and D. C. Angus (2007). "Perceptions of safety culture vary across the intensive care units of a single institution *." Critical Care Medicine35(1): 165-176 110.1097/1001.CCM.0000251505.0000276026.CF. • Makary, M. A., et al. (2006). "Operating room teamwork among physicians and nurses: teamwork in the eye of the beholder." Journal of the American College of Surgeons202(5): 746-752. • Maxfield, D., J. Grenny, R. McMillan, K. Patterson and A. Switzler (2005). Silence Kills: The Seven Crucial Conversations in Healthcare. Provo, Utah, VitalSmarts LC. • Mazzocco, K., D. B. Petitti, K. T. Fong, D. Bonacum, J. Brookey, S. Graham, R. E. Lasky, J. B. Sexton and E. J. Thomas (2009). "Surgical team behaviors and patient outcomes." American journal of surgery197(5): 678-685.