4 Attachment A - Draft Diagnostic Safety Supplemental Item

A HRQ Diagnostic Safety Supplemental Item Set for the Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture Pilot Test, Supporting Statement A

Attachment A: Draft Diagnostic Safety Supplemental Item Set

Form Approved
OMB No. XXXX-XXXX
Exp. Date XX/XX/20XX

Draft Diagnostic Safety Supplemental Item Set

(With the Medical Office SOPS Survey)

7/3/19

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, the estimated time required to complete the survey. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: AHRQ Reports Clearance Officer Attention: PRA, Paperwork Reduction Project (0935-XXXX) AHRQ, 540 Gaither Road, Room # 5036, Rockville, MD 20850.

Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety

SURVEY INSTRUCTIONS

Think about the way things are done in your medical office and provide your opinions on issues that affect the overall safety and quality of the care provided to patients in your office.

►In this survey, the term provider refers to physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners who diagnose, treat patients, and prescribe medications. The term staff refers to all others who work in the office.

• If a question does not apply to you or you don’t know the answer, please check “Does Not Apply or Don’t Know.”

• If you work in more than one office or location for your practice, when answering this survey answer only about the office location where you received this survey—do not answer about the entire practice.

• If your medical office is in a building with other medical offices, answer only about the specific medical office where you work—do not answer about any other medical offices in the building.

SECTION A: List of Patient Safety and Quality Issues

The following items describe things that can happen in medical offices that affect patient safety and quality of care. In your best estimate, how often did the following things happen in your medical office OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS?

	Daily 	Weekly 	Monthly 	Several times in the past 12 months 	Once or twice in the past 12 months 	Not in the past 12 months 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
Access to Care
A patient was unable to get an appointment within 48 hours for an acute/serious problem	1	2	3	4	5	6	9
Patient Identification
The wrong chart/medical record was used for a patient	1	2	3	4	5	6	9
Charts/Medical Records
A patient’s chart/medical record was not available when needed	1	2	3	4	5	6	9
Medical information was filed, scanned, or entered into the wrong patient’s chart/medical record	1	2	3	4	5	6	9
Medical Equipment
Medical equipment was not working properly or was in need of repair or replacement	1	2	3	4	5	6	9
SECTION A: List of Patient Safety and Quality Issues (continued)

How often did the following things happen in your medical office OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS?
	Daily 	Weekly 		Monthly 		Several times in the past 12 months 	Once or twice in the past 12 months 	Not in the past 12 months 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
Medication
A pharmacy contacted our office to clarify or correct a prescription	1		2	3	4		5	6	9
A patient’s medication list was not updated during his or her visit	1		2	3	4		5	6	9
Diagnostics & Tests
The results from a lab or imaging test were not available when needed	1		2	3	4		5	6	9
A critical abnormal result from a lab or imaging test was not followed up within 1 business day	1		2	3	4		5	6	9

SECTION B: Information Exchange With Other Settings

Over the past 12 months, how often has your medical office had problems exchanging accurate, complete, and timely information with:

	Problems daily 	Problems weekly 	Problems monthly 	Problems several times in the past 12 months 	Problems once or twice in the past 12 months 	No problems in the past 12 months 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
Outside labs/imaging centers?	1	2	3	4	5	6	9
Other medical offices/ outside physicians? .	1	2	3	4	5	6	9
Pharmacies?	1	2	3	4	5	6	9
Hospitals?	1	2	3	4	5	6	9
Other ? (Specify): __________________________	1	2	3	4	5	6	9

SECTION C: Working in Your Medical Office

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?	Strongly Disagree 	Disagree 	Neither Agree nor Disagree 	Agree 	Strongly Agree 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
When someone in this office gets really busy, others help out	1	2	3	4	5	9
In this office, there is a good working relationship between staff and providers	1	2	3	4	5	9
In this office, we often feel rushed when taking care of patients	1	2	3	4	5	9
This office trains staff when new processes are put into place	1	2	3	4	5	9
In this office, we treat each other with respect	1	2	3	4	5	9
We have too many patients for the number of providers in this office	1	2	3	4	5	9
This office makes sure staff get the on-the-job training they need	1	2	3	4	5	9
This office is more disorganized than it should be	1	2	3	4	5	9
We have good procedures for checking that work in this office was done correctly	1	2	3	4	5	9
Staff in this office are asked to do tasks they haven’t been trained to do	1	2	3	4	5	9
We have enough staff to handle our patient load	1	2	3	4	5	9
We have problems with workflow in this office	1	2	3	4	5	9
This office emphasizes teamwork in taking care of patients	1	2	3	4	5	9
This office has too many patients to be able to handle everything effectively	1	2	3	4	5	9
Staff in this office follow standardized processes to get tasks done	1	2	3	4	5	9

SECTION D: Communication and Followup

How often do the following things happen in your medical office?	Never 	Rarely 	Some- times 	Most of the time 	Always 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
Providers in this office are open to staff ideas about how to improve office processes .	1	2	3	4	5	9
Staff are encouraged to express alternative viewpoints in this office .	1	2	3	4	5	9
This office reminds patients when they need to schedule an appointment for preventive or routine care	1	2	3	4	5	9
Staff are afraid to ask questions when something does not seem right	1	2	3	4	5	9
This office documents how well our chronic-care patients follow their treatment plans	1	2	3	4	5	9
Our office follows up when we do not receive a report we are expecting from an outside provider	1	2	3	4	5	9
Staff feel like their mistakes are held against them. .	1	2	3	4	5	9
Providers and staff talk openly about office problems.	1	2	3	4	5	9
This office follows up with patients who need monitoring	1	2	3	4	5	9
It is difficult to voice disagreement in this office	1	2	3	4	5	9
In this office, we discuss ways to prevent errors from happening again	1	2	3	4	5	9
Staff are willing to report mistakes they observe in this office	1	2	3	4	5	9

	SECTION E: Owner/Managing Partner/Leadership Support
A. Are you an owner, a managing partner, or in a leadership position with responsibility for making financial decisions for your medical office? 1 Yes  Go to Section F 2 No  Continue below
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the owners/ managing partners/leadership of your medical office?		Strongly Disagree 	Disagree 	Neither Agree nor Disagree 	Agree 	Strongly Agree 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
They aren’t investing enough resources to improve the quality of care in this office		1	2	3	4	5	9
They overlook patient care mistakes that happen over and over		1	2	3	4	5	9
They place a high priority on improving patient care processes		1	2	3	4	5	9
They make decisions too often based on what is best for the office rather than what is best for patients		1	2	3	4	5	9

SECTION F: Your Medical Office

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?	Strongly Disagree 	Disagree 	Neither Agree nor Disagree 	Agree 	Strongly Agree 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
When there is a problem in our office, we see if we need to change the way we do things	1	2	3	4	5	9
Our office processes are good at preventing mistakes that could affect patients	1	2	3	4	5	9
Mistakes happen more than they should in this office	1	2	3	4	5	9
It is just by chance that we don’t make more mistakes that affect our patients	1	2	3	4	5	9
This office is good at changing office processes to make sure the same problems don’t happen again	1	2	3	4	5	9
In this office, getting more work done is more important than quality of care	1	2	3	4	5	9
After this office makes changes to improve the patient care process, we check to see if the changes worked	1	2	3	4	5	9
SECTION G: Overall Ratings

Overall Ratings on Quality

1. Overall, how would you rate your medical office on each of the following areas of health care quality?

		Poor ▼	Fair ▼	Good ▼	Very good ▼	Excellent ▼
a. Patient centered	Is responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values	1	2	3	4	5
b. Effective	Is based on scientific knowledge	1	2	3	4	5
c. Timely	Minimizes waits and potentially harmful delays	1	2	3	4	5
d. Efficient	Ensures cost-effective care (avoids waste, overuse, and misuse of services)	1	2	3	4	5
e. Equitable	Provides the same quality of care to all individuals regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, language, etc.	1	2	3	4	5

Overall Rating on Patient Safety

2. Overall, how would you rate the systems and clinical processes your medical office has in place to prevent, catch, and correct problems that have the potential to affect patients?

Poor ▼	Fair ▼	Good ▼	Very good ▼	Excellent ▼
1	2	3	4	5

Diagnostic Processes in Your Medical Office

The following items ask about the diagnostic process in your medical office.

• The diagnostic process starts when a patient seeks care for a health problem and includes gathering and interpreting information, communicating the diagnosis to a patient, and revising the diagnosis over time, as needed.

SECTION H: Testing Process

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?	Strongly Disagree 	Disagree 	Neither Agree nor Disagree 	Agree 	Strongly Agree 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
This office follows a standardized process for tracking patient test results	1	2	3	4	5	9
When this office doesn’t receive a patient’s test results, staff follow up	1	2	3	4	5	9
Patients are told to assume that their test results are normal if they don’t hear from this office	1	2	3	4	5	9
All test results are communicated to patients, even if the test results are normal	1	2	3	4	5	9

SECTION I: Referral Process

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Strongly Disagree 

Disagree 

Neither Agree nor Disagree 

Agree 

Strongly Agree 

Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 

This office follows a standardized process for tracking referrals	1	2	3	4	5	9
When this office refers a patient to an outside provider, we provide their test results with the referral	1	2	3	4	5	9
After making an urgent referral, this office tries to confirm whether the patient actually went to the appointment	1	2	3	4	5	9

SECTION J: Office Communication Around Diagnosis

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?	Strongly Disagree 	Disagree 	Neither Agree nor Disagree 	Agree 	Strongly Agree 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
Providers in this office encourage staff to share their observations about a patient’s condition	1	2	3	4	5	9
Providers in this office seek staff input to help inform a patient’s diagnosis	1	2	3	4	5	9
When staff think a provider has missed an important piece of diagnostic information, they discuss it with the provider	1	2	3	4	5	9
When staff are concerned about the accuracy of a diagnosis, they speak up	1	2	3	4	5	9

SECTION K: Communication And Feedback About Diagnostic Errors

Diagnostic errors are:

• The failure to establish an accurate and timely explanation of the patient’s health problem(s) or communicate that explanation to the patient.

• Any mistake or failure in the diagnostic process leading to a wrong, missed, or delayed diagnosis.

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?	Strongly Disagree 	Disagree 	Neither Agree nor Disagree 	Agree 	Strongly Agree 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
We are informed about diagnostic errors that happen in this office	1	2	3	4	5	9
In this office, providers and staff discuss ways to prevent diagnostic errors from happening	1	2	3	4	5	9
When providers in this office discover a diagnostic error made by another provider, they talk to that provider about it	1	2	3	4	5	9
Providers in this office are reluctant to talk with other providers about their own diagnostic errors	1	2	3	4	5	9

SECTION L: Documentation Around Diagnosis

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?	Strongly Disagree 	Disagree 	Neither Agree nor Disagree 	Agree 	Strongly Agree 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
Information needed for help make a diagnosis is hard to find in the patient’s medical record	1	2	3	4	5	9
When providers are uncertain about a patient’s diagnosis, they document their uncertainty in the patient’s medical record	1	2	3	4	5	9
Alternative diagnoses are documented in the patient’s medical record when the diagnosis is unclear	1	2	3	4	5	9

SECTION M: Communication With Patients

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?	Strongly Disagree 	Disagree 	Neither Agree nor Disagree 	Agree 	Strongly Agree 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
If providers are unsure about a diagnosis, they discuss other possible diagnoses with the patient	1	2	3	4	5	9

SECTION N: Provider Consultation/Second Opinions

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?	Strongly Disagree 	Disagree 	Neither Agree nor Disagree 	Agree 	Strongly Agree 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
Providers in this office ask other providers for advice about complicated diagnoses	1	2	3	4	5	9
When a report from a specialist/radiologist/ pathologist needs clarification, providers talk with them directly	1	2	3	4	5	9
When a diagnosis is complicated, providers in this office encourage the patient to get a second opinion	1	2	3	4	5	9

SECTION O: Time Pressure

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?	Strongly Disagree 	Disagree 	Neither Agree nor Disagree 	Agree 	Strongly Agree 	Does Not Apply or Don’t Know 
Providers in this office have the flexibility to extend appointment times if needed	1	2	3	4	5	9
Providers in this office have enough time during their regular workday to complete patient notes	1	2	3	4	5	9
Providers in this office have enough time during their regular workday to investigate complicated cases	1	2	3	4	5	9
Providers in this office have enough time to stop and think about alternative diagnoses	1	2	3	4	5	9

SECTION P: Overall Ratings on Diagnostic Processes

1. Overall, how would you rate your medical office…:

	Poor ▼	Fair ▼	Good ▼	Very good ▼	Excellent ▼
In making accurate and timely diagnoses and clearly communicating them to patients?	1	2	3	4	5
At preventing and learning from diagnostic errors?	1	2	3	4	5

SECTION Q: Background Questions

1. How long have you worked in this medical office location?

a. Less than 2 months	d. 3 years to less than 6 years
b. 2 months to less than 1 year	e. 6 years to less than 11 years
c. 1 year to less than 3 years	f. 11 years or more

2. Typically, how many hours per week do you work in this medical office location?

a. 1 to 4 hours per week	d. 25 to 32 hours per week
b. 5 to 16 hours per week	e. 33 to 40 hours per week
c. 17 to 24 hours per week	f. 41 hours per week or more

2. What is your position in this office? Check ONE category that best applies to your job.

a. Physician (MD or DO)

b. Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Midwife, Advanced Practice Nurse, etc.

c. Management

Practice Manager	Business Manager
Office Manager	Nurse Manager
Office Administrator	Lab Manager
	Other Manager

d. Administrative or clerical staff

Insurance Processor	Front Desk
Billing Staff	Receptionist
Referral Staff	Scheduler (appointments, surgery, etc.)
Medical Records	Other administrative or clerical staff position

e. Nurse (RN), Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

f. Other clinical staff or clinical support staff

Medical Assistant	Technician (all types)
Nursing Aide	Therapist (all types)
	Other clinical staff or clinical support staff

g. Other position; please specify: ____________________________________________________

SECTION R: Your Comments

Please feel free to write any comments you may have about patient safety or quality of care in your medical office.

THANK YOU FOR COMPLETING THIS SURVEY.

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