Welcome to the Safer Together Self-Assessment Tool

Congratulations on taking the first step to meaningfully assess patient and workforce safety at your organization!

This Self-Assessment Tool complements the recommendations and tactics presented in Safer Together: A National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety and the companion Self-Assessment Tool User Guide. The purpose of this Self-Assessment Tool is to support organizational learning and help track progress in safety improvement over time.

About the Self-Assessment Tool

The Self-Assessment Tool is organized around the four interrelated foundational areas described in Safer Together: A National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety, which collectively support a total systems approach to advancing patient safety:

• Culture, Leadership and Governance
• Patient and Family Caregiver Engagement
• Workforce Safety and Well-Being
• Learning Systems

The questions are a synthesis of elements from Safer Together: A National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety and provide a reflection of your organization’s patient safety efforts, though they may not capture every detail.

Steps to Take Before You Begin the Self-Assessment Tool

Review Safer Together: A National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety

Review the Self-Assessment Tool User Guide and keep it accessible while completing the Self-Assessment Tool.

Timeline: This survey will take approximately 30-60 minutes to complete.

• The online survey window is open for 30 calendar days from when you initiated the self-assessment.
• Automated email reminders will be sent on Day 7, Day 15, and Day 29 to help ensure timely completion.

Selecting and Entering Scores

Step 1: For each of the 27 elements across the four foundational areas, there are one or more required criteria to consider.

• Review the element Score options. If there is uncertainty about any Score, consult the Self-Assessment Tool User Guide and/or colleagues to gain more information.  

Step 2: For each element, select the highest Score that describes current state of your organization on the slide bar for that element. 

• Select the Score that best represents the current state of your organization’s safety efforts. You may also add an optional explanatory comment for each element.
• If the Score is not known, select the Unsure option on the slide bar (this will not be included in the Score calculation). 
• If your organization does not meet the requirements for Score 1 – Beginning, select a Score of 0.  
• Your organization must meet all criteria for each Score before advancing to the next. If all criteria for Score 2 are complete, select Score 2 on the slide bar. To achieve Score 3, all criteria for Score 2 and 3 must be met. To achieve Score 4, all criteria for Score 2, 3, and 4 must be met.  
• For example, for the Culture, Leadership, and Governance “Goals and Strategy” element, if your organization meets the criteria for “Some Goals” (Score 1) and “Action Plans and Metrics” (Score 2) but not for “Strategic and Operating Plans” (Score 2), select Score 1 on the slide bar.

About Data Usage

The data provided by you (Respondent) will be utilized to generate a report of your responses assessing your organization's safety readiness across the four foundational areas outlined in Safer Together: A National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety.

All collected data will be anonymized by IHI and may be aggregated with data from other organizations to identify trends and highlight opportunities for improvement in patient and workforce safety. Individual organizations, facilities, systems, and specific responses/respondents will never be identified by name in any reports or analyses completed by IHI.

Please review IHI's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use links.

Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions during the process, please message the IHI Safer Together Project Team at safertogether@ihi.org.

Thank you for supporting your organizational safety improvements with the Safer Together Self-Assessment Tool!