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Survey finds healthcare risk managers and executives struggle with patient safety Publication info: Healthcare Risk Management ; Atlanta  Vol. 35, Iss. 6,  (Jun 2013).

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ABSTRACT (ENGLISH) Survey finds healthcare risk managers and executives struggle with patient safety Maximizing patient safety is the

top priority for hospital C-suite executives and risk managers in the United States, but the “lack of teamwork,

negative culture, and poor communication” will present barriers to patient safety in the future, according to a

survey commissioned by American International Group (AIG) in New York City. The results revealed a tension

between what hospital leaders perceive as their number one priority in 2013, patient safety (64% of C-suite and

62% of risk managers), and their number one threat, failing to maximize financial sustainability (60% of C-suite and

62% of risk managers), said Russell Johnston, casualty product line executive, in releasing the results. While most

(84% of C-suite executive and 88% of risk managers) agree their hospital effectively uses technology to improve

patient safety, more than half (59% of C-suite executive and 53% of risk managers) say it takes clinical staff away

from patient care. FULL TEXT Survey finds healthcare risk managers and executives struggle with patient safety

Maximizing patient safety is the top priority for hospital C-suite executives and risk managers in the United States,

but the “lack of teamwork, negative culture, and poor communication” will present barriers to patient safety in the

future, according to a survey commissioned by American International Group (AIG) in New York City.

The results revealed a tension between what hospital leaders perceive as their number one priority in 2013, patient

safety (64% of C-suite and 62% of risk managers), and their number one threat, failing to maximize financial

sustainability (60% of C-suite and 62% of risk managers), said Russell Johnston, casualty product line executive, in

releasing the results.

While nearly all respondents (96% of C-suite and risk managers) say their hospital has a “culture of patient safety,”

one-third (33% of C-suite and 37% of risk managers) acknowledge that their hospital needs to undergo major

changes to maintain that culture in the future.

“This study is designed to better understand what drives patient safety, the barriers our healthcare system must

overcome to achieve it, and what can be done to help keep hospitals safer over the next three to five years,”

Johnston said.

Most respondents said the largest barriers to patient safety are lack of teamwork, negative culture, and poor

communication (42% of C-suite and 55% of risk managers). The primary communication and coordination

problems cited include:

•the perception that nurses fear retribution if they discuss patient safety (26% of C-suite and 29% of risk

managers);

•documentation burdens (69% of C-suite and 60% of risk managers);

•the number of patient “handoffs” among hospital staff (56% of C-suite and 61% of risk managers);

•the quality of coordination and communication between departments at their hospitals (59% of C-suite executives

and 69% of risk managers).

The study also revealed inconsistent perceptions of who is “responsible for” patient safety and who “owns” it.

Virtually all hospital executives (98% of both C-suite executives and risk managers) agree that “every staff member

in my hospital is responsible for patient safety.” But half of both C-suite executives and risk managers (52% and

51%, respectively) believe that nurses “own” it. Interestingly, executives see nursing staff turnover as one of the

least influential items on overall hospital risk, including patient safety, regardless of the fact that they place the

onus of patient safety on nurses.

Further complicating the situation, the introduction of new technology, regulation, metrics, and patient education

aimed at helping patient safety are sometimes perceived has having the opposite effect:

•Three-quarters (75%) of C-suite executives see reporting of quality metrics as beneficial to safety, yet one in five

(20%) sees negative impacts on other areas of quality as a result of having to report these metrics.

•While most (84% of C-suite executive and 88% of risk managers) agree their hospital effectively uses technology

to improve patient safety, more than half (59% of C-suite executive and 53% of risk managers) say it takes clinical

staff away from patient care.

•One in four executives (23% of C-suite executives and 24% of risk managers) admit that their hospital is more

focused on driving publicly reported metrics rather than truly impacting patient safety. Also, most hospital leaders

agree the public does not understand how to interpret publicly reported patient safety metrics (83% of C-suite

executives and 89% of risk managers).

The full survey results can be found at http://tinyurl.com/aigriskreport. DETAILS

Subject: Patient safety; Communication; Nurses; Risk management

Publication title: Healthcare Risk Management; Atlanta

Volume: 35

Issue: 6

Publication year: 2013

Publication date: Jun 2013

Publisher: AHC Media LLC

Database copyright  2018 ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions Contact ProQuest

Place of publication: Atlanta

Country of publication: United States, Atlanta

Publication subject: Health Facilities And Administration

ISSN: 10816534

Source type: Trade Journals

Language of publication: English

Document type: Journal Article

ProQuest document ID: 1987716768

Document URL: https://search.proquest.com/docview/1987716768?accountid=142908

Copyright: Copyright AHC Media LLC Jun 2013

Last updated: 2018-01-16

Database: ProQuest Central