The culture of safety reflects an organization’s commitment to safety, characterized by open communication, non-punitive reporting, and shared responsibility. Assessing it requires data that captures staff perceptions and behaviors.
Option A (Adverse event reports): Adverse event reports provide data on safety incidents but do not directly measure cultural attitudes, such as willingness to report errors or trust in leadership.
Option B (Staff-completed survey results): This is the correct answer. NAHQ CPHQ study materials and tools like the AHRQ Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture emphasize that staff surveys are the best method to assess safety culture, as they capture perceptions of teamwork, communication, and reporting practices.
Option C (Workplace injury claims): Injury claims reflect staff safety outcomes but do not provide insight into the broader cultural factors driving safety behaviors.
Option D (Patient complaints): Patient complaints focus on patient experience, not the internal culture of safety among staff.
[Reference: NAHQ CPHQ Study Guide, Domain 1: Patient Safety, identifies staff surveys as the primary tool for assessing an organization’s culture of safety, aligned with AHRQ methodologies., , , ]
