Developing a reliable and valid patient measure of safety in hospitals (PMOS): A validation study
Lawton, R. O'Hara, J.K. Armitage, Gerry R. Giles, S. Parveen, Sahdia Watt, I.S. Wright, J. Yorkshire Quality and Safety Research Group
Lawton, R.
O'Hara, J.K.
Armitage, Gerry R.
Giles, S.
Parveen, Sahdia
Watt, I.S.
Wright, J.
Yorkshire Quality and Safety Research Group
Publication Date
2014-07
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2013-12-08
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Abstract
Introduction Patients represent an important
and as yet untapped source of information about
the factors that contribute to the safety of their
care. The aim of the current study is to test the
reliability and validity of the Patient Measure of
Safety (PMOS), a brief patient-completed
questionnaire that allows hospitals to proactively
identify areas of safety concern and vulnerability,
and to intervene before incidents occur.
Methods 297 patients from 11 hospital wards
completed the PMOS questionnaire during their
stay; 25 completed a second 1 week later. The
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ) safety culture survey was completed by
190 staff on 10 of these wards. Factor structure,
internal reliability, test-retest reliability, discriminant
validity and convergent validity were assessed.
Results Factor analyses revealed 8 key domains
of safety (eg, communication and team work,
access to resources, staff roles and responsibilities)
explaining 58% variance of the original
questionnaire. Cronbach’s α (range 0.66–0.89)
and test-retest reliability (r=0.75) were good.
The PMOS positive index significantly correlated
with staff reported ‘perceptions of patient safety’
(r=0.79) and ‘patient safety grade’ (r=−0.81)
outcomes from the AHRQ (demonstrating
convergent validity). A multivariate analysis of
variance (MAMOVA) revealed that three PMOS
factors and one retained single item discriminated
significantly across the 11 wards.
Discussion The PMOS is the first patient
questionnaire used to assess factors contributing
to safety in hospital settings from a patient
perspective. It has demonstrated acceptable
reliability and validity. Such information is useful
to help hospitals/units proactively improve the
safety of their care.
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Citation
McEachan R, Lawton RJ, O'Hara JK et al (2014) Developing a reliable and valid patient measure of safety in hospitals (PMOS): A validation study. British Medical Journal Quality and Safety. 23(7): 565-73.
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