Most medical office employees feel their office has strong teamwork, while not many feel their work pressure and pace is good for patient safety, according to a survey by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
A total of 27,103 staff members from 935 medical offices participated in the 2014 survey, which was conducted between November 2011 and November 2013. The survey includes 38 items that measure 10 composites of patient safety culture.
Below is a breakdown of the percent of positive responses to questions pertaining to each of the 10 composites received in the survey:
1. Teamwork: 86 percent positive
2. Patient care tracking and follow-up: 86 percent positive
3. Overall perception of patient safety and quality: 80 percent positive
4. Organizational learning: 80 percent positive
5. Staff training: 75 percent positive
6. Communication about error: 70 percent positive
7. Owner, managing partner or leadership support for patient safety: 70 percent positive
8. Office processes and standardization: 69 percent positive
9. Communication openness: 68 percent positive
10. Work pressure and pace: 50 percent positive
Based on these results, one major area for potential improvement for medical offices is their work pressure and pace. For instance, just 37 percent of respondents strongly disagreed or disagreed with the statement, "In this office, we often feel rushed when taking care of patients."
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