On the journey to a culture of patient safety

In 2005, our hospital participated in a Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA) Patient Safety Cultural Assessment project. Online survey results collected and analyzed by CCHSA demonstrated numerous opportunities for our organization to improve its patient safety culture. An eight-point Patient Safety Plan was created, and over the following two years, numerous patient safety initiatives were implemented. In 2007, the Patient Safety Cultural Assessment was repeated using the same survey instrument and an online survey response method. Results showed only very minor positive improvements in our culture.