MedStar Washington Employees Give Hospital Low Marks in Patient Safety

Employees at Washington, D.C.-based MedStar Washington Hospital Center gave the hospital low scores in some areas of patient safety, according to data from an employee survey designed to show employee perception of patient safety.

Washington Hospital Center employees participated in three surveys conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2010, 2012 and 2014. The hospital released its survey data after the National Labor Relations Board ruled in favor of National Nurses United, which was looking for data from 2012, according to a Washington Post report.

"It's unfortunate we had to go through all this litigation to get that data. We look forward to collaborating with management to improve safety," Stephen Frum from the NNU told the Washington Post.

About 650 hospitals participated in the AHRQ survey this year. Washington Hospital Center scored below the national average in seven of 12 patient safety measures:

•    Frequency of events reported: 62 percent (63 percent national average)
•    Non-punitive response to error: 38 percent (40 percent)
•    Organizational learning: 70 percent (72 percent)
•    Staffing: 47 percent (51 percent)
•    Teamwork across units: 50 percent (55 percent)
•    Management support for patient safety: 63 percent (68 percent)
•    Overall perceptions of patient safety: 55 percent (61 percent)

Three areas where the hospital received better-than-average scores were teamwork within units, feedback/communication about errors and communication openness.

Washington Hospital Center is just the second hospital to ever release internal data on a culture of safety, according to a Washington Business Journal report.

"This is a big step. Research shows that organizations that regularly share this kind of information with associates make greater gains and improve safety — and that is certainly our goal," John Sullivan, president of Washington Hospital Center, wrote in a letter to employees, according to the Washington Post.

More Articles on Culture of Safety:
10 Statistics on Cultures of Safety in Medical Offices: AHRQ Survey
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4 Recent Stories on Creating a Culture of Safety

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