6 November 2018

In BMC Health Services Research Marieke Zegers, Hub Wollersheim and colleagues described eight recommendations to improve patient safety governance auditing.

Abstract

Background:
Audits are increasingly used for patient safety governance purposes. However, there is little insight into the factors that hinder or stimulate effective governance based on auditing. The aim of this study is to quantify the factors that influence effective auditing for hospital boards and executives.
Methods:
A questionnaire of 32 factors was developed using influencing factors found in a qualitative study on effective auditing. Factors were divided into four categories. The questionnaire was sent to the board of directors, chief of medical staff, nursing officer, medical department head and director of the quality and safety department of 89 acute care hospitals in the Netherlands.
Results:
We approached 522 people, of whom 211 responded. Of the 32 factors in the questionnaire, 30 factors had an agreement percentage higher than 50%. Important factors per category were 'audit as an improvement tool as well as a control tool', 'department is aware of audit purpose', 'quality of auditors' and 'learning culture at department'. We found 14 factors with a significant difference in agreement between stakeholders of at least 20%. Amongst these were 'medical specialist on the audit team', 'soft signals in the audit report', 'patients as auditors' and 'post-audit support'.
Conclusion:
We found 30 factors for effective auditing, which we synthesised into eight recommendations to optimise audits. Hospitals can use these recommendations as a framework for audits that enable boards to become more in control of patient safety in their hospital.

Publication:
Important factors for effective patient safety governance auditing: a questionnaire survey.
van Gelderen SC, Zegers M, Robben PB, Boeijen W, Westert GP, Wollersheim HC.

Marieke Zegers is member of the theme Healthcare improvement science.

Related news items


Research into treatment for bladder pain syndrome will now be reimbursed

4 August 2021 Bladder pain syndrome, also called interstitial cystitis, is a chronic benign condition of the urinary bladder read more

Obesity increases risk of death in uterine cancer PhD defense of Hannah Donkers on 22 April

22 April 2021 Research by Hannah Donkers shows that obesity causes a worse survival rate in women with uterine cancer. In addition, it appears that lower socioeconomic class and anemia also contribute. read more

Physiotherapy is important to the recovery of patients with the coronavirus

26 March 2020 Patients who have been infected with the coronavirus and admitted to the hospital for this reason should receive physiotherapy as soon as their condition allows. This is the view expressed by physiotherapists and researchers from the Radboudumc in a set of joint treatment recommendations. read more

Healthcare utilization and regional variation of end-of-life hospital care in Dutch cancer patients

26 March 2020 In International Journal of Quality Health Care RIHS researcher Femke Atsma showed high healthcare utilization and medical variation in End of Life care in Cancer patients, which was not associated with GP care or long term care. read more

People-like-me treatment for intermittent claudication Personalized approach for patients

27 February 2020 Radboudumc, with the University of Colorado, ClaudicatioNet and Harteraad, has developed a method to better treat people with intermittent claudication. This method, by RIHS researcher Thomas Hoogeboom among others, enables physiotherapists to coordinate the care process with the patient better. read more