Table 2 Factors for effective auditing and their ranking
From: Important factors for effective patient safety governance auditing: a questionnaire survey
Theme | Factor | Rank order | Agree % | Item score (mean, 95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Positioning | Audit as an improvement tool as well as a control tool | 1 | 100 | 5.80 (5.75–5.86) |
Culture | Learning culture at department | 2 | 100 | 5.40 (5.31–5.48) |
Organisation | Department is aware of audit purpose | 3 | 99 | 5.60 (5.52–5.69) |
Positioning | Follow-up on auditing results by head of department | 4 | 99 | 5.40 (5.30–5.49) |
Organisation | Audit also focusses on healthcare pathways | 5 | 98 | 5.37 (5.26–5.47) |
Positioning | Audit results are embedded in the planning and control cycle of a hospital | 6 | 98 | 5.32 (5.21–5.42) |
Auditors | Quality of the auditors | 7 | 98 | 5.17 (5.06–5.29) |
Positioning | Dissemination of audit results to all personnel | 8 | 97 | 5.27 (5.15–5.39) |
Organisation | Audit is adjusted fit to individual departments | 9 | 95 | 5.08 (4.95–5.20) |
Culture | Staff feel that audit contributes to patient safety | 10 | 95 | 4.96 (4.84–5.07) |
Auditors | Evaluation of individual auditors | 11 | 95 | 4.96 (4.83–5.09) |
Positioning | Spreading the purpose and value of audit by board of directors | 12 | 93 | 5.26 (5.12–5.39) |
Auditors | Multidisciplinary audit team | 13 | 93 | 4.99 (4.85–5.14) |
Auditors | Auditors coming from other hospitals taking part in the audit team | 14 | 93 | 4.83 (4.69–4.97) |
Culture | Availability of head of department on audit day | 15 | 92 | 4.89 (4.75–5.02) |
Positioning | Board of directors addresses departments when follow-up on auditing result is not going according to plan | 16 | 91 | 4.92 (4.79–5.06) |
Positioning | Departments receive support during improvement actions after audit | 17 | 88 | 4.72 (4.58–4.86) |
Organisation | Auditors get tunnel vision on a department because of selective information during preparations | 18 | 87 | 4.45 (4.30–4.60) |
Organisation | There is room for soft signals, not only facts, in the audit report | 19 | 86 | 4.71 (4.55–4.87) |
Organisation | Patients as an information source in auditing | 20 | 85 | 4.68 (4.51–4.84) |
Culture | Time investment as a barrier | 21 | 82 | 4.41 (4.24–4.57) |
Organisation | Audit also focusses on care provided by healthcare professionals and adverse events | 22 | 81 | 4.65 (4.43–4.86) |
Auditors | Medical specialist on the auditteam | 23 | 79 | 4.50 (4.32–4.68) |
Culture | Staff sees added value of audit | 24 | 78 | 4.34 (4.18–4.50) |
Organisation | Department knows that the audit team is coming | 25 | 75 | 4.43 (4.24–4.62) |
Culture | Quality is ‘part of the job’ | 26 | 75 | 4.35 (4.15–4.54) |
Culture | Importance of audit outcomes compared to importance of outcomes of other visitations and instruments | 27 | 66 | 3.94 (3.78–4.10) |
Auditors | Patients as auditors | 28 | 64 | 3.83 (3.64–4.01) |
Organisation | An extensive and detailed audit report | 29 | 59 | 3.81 (3.62–4.01) |
Auditors | Chairman of the audit team is a high profile employee | 30 | 56 | 3.57 (3.39–3.75) |
Auditors | Only employees with a (para)medical education should be auditors | 31 | 37 | 3.05 (2.84–3.25) |
Auditors | The department to be audited influences the composition of the audit team | 32 | 26 | 2.75 (2.75–2.91) |