Similar to hospital board members, the majority of hospital CEOs self-report that patient safety and quality are the top-rated strategic priorities in their organizations, according to survey results published in the June issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.
In total, 605 hospital leaders participated in the study, 53 of whom were hospital CEOs.
Five findings on hospital CEOs' views on safety and quality are listed below.
1. Most (94 percent) said their hospital's patient safety and quality plan has been shared with them, and 80 percent said it is routinely reviewed and referred to during board meetings.
2. Eighty percent of CEOs said patient safety and quality is discussed at all board meetings, but just 43 percent said events that caused harm to a patient are reviewed and discussed at every board meeting.
3. Not many CEOs (8 percent) said a workforce safety dashboard is discussed at each meeting.
4. A little more than half of the CEOs (55 percent) said they compare their quality and patient safety dashboard performance to others in the industry at each meeting.
5. Hospital CEOs were confident in defining and understanding 13 patient safety-related terms. All CEOs said they understood the term "near miss," while "venous thromboembolism" was the least-known term, with 84 percent reporting understanding of the term.