Pediatric Surgeon Perceptions of Participation in External Patient Safety Programs: impact on Patient Safety

Abstract

Introduction: Surgeons play a crucial role in preventing harm and contributing to the safety culture of their institutions. External safety data programs are designed to review adverse events and provide performance benchmarks to ameliorate future adverse events. The extent to which pediatric surgeons are aware of these programs, utilize data from these programs, and believe that they improve patient safety, is unknown. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of the American Pediatric Surgical Association membership was conducted to evaluate participation in and attitudes toward national safety benchmark programs (eg, National Surgical Quality Improvement Program). Surgeons’ perceptions of these activities, including barriers to participation and utilization of safety data, were measured. We performed standard frequency analyses and tests of associations between surgeon characteristics and the likelihood of utilizing safety data. Results: The response rate was 38% (353/928). Seventy-two percentage of respondents reported institutional participation in external safety benchmark programs. Of those, only 68% utilized data to improve or monitor patient safety. Surgeon-reported barriers to this process included lack of knowledge, time, and institutional resources. Conclusions: Many pediatric surgeons are aware of institutional participation in external safety data programs, but only a portion are involved in the utilization of these data. We have identified several barriers to participation and data utilization. These findings can help direct educational efforts to optimize our ability to learn from adverse event benchmarking and improve pediatric surgical care.

Measuring the Interprofessional Health of the Pediatric Cardiovascular Operating Room Work Environment

“…27 Although many QI frameworks are available, an essential element among all frameworks is the need for metrics and benchmarks to drive QI initiatives. 28 The C4-MNP collaborative forum aligns with this essential requirement by providing access to HWE data and encouraging utilization. The availability of HWE data for pediatric CVORs will enable program leaders and their interdisciplinary teams to meaningfully assess the health of their work environments and understand their scores in comparison to other pediatric CVORs across the United States.…”