Development and validation of a Self-assessment Instrument for Perioperative Patient Safety (SIPPS).

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality and safety research.
• Clinical assessment and validation studies.

Background:

• Patient safety is paramount in healthcare to prevent harm.
• Non-compliance with safety standards poses a global risk.
• A validated instrument is needed for monitoring perioperative patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Self-assessment Instrument for Perioperative Patient Safety (SIPPS).
• To establish a tool for monitoring and benchmarking perioperative patient safety compliance.
• To identify areas for improvement in patient safety.

Main Methods:

• Developed a preliminary questionnaire based on Dutch guidelines and international safety goals.
• Utilized digital and face-to-face RAND Delphi rounds to refine the instrument.
• Pilot-tested SIPPS in five hospitals assessing measurability, applicability, improvement potential, discriminatory capacity, and feasibility.

Main Results:

• SIPPS demonstrated good measurability (99.8%) and applicability (99.9%).
• Identified areas for improvement in perioperative patient safety compliance (76.1%) across all domains and care phases.
• Showed good feasibility (91.9-95.7%) but mixed results for discriminatory capacity.

Conclusions:

• The validated SIPPS instrument effectively measures perioperative patient safety compliance against international standards.
• SIPPS facilitates the identification of specific improvement areas and best practices in patient safety across healthcare institutions.