[The evolution of the Critical Incident Reporting System in an Austrian university hospital].

Background: Critical Incident Reporting Systems (CIRS) are an important tool to identify potential hazards in healthcare. However, in Europe CIR systems are differently used with respect to whether its use is voluntary or mandatory. The aim of the present paper was to describe the development of the recently implemented CIRS in the University Hospital Graz.

[New ways to evaluate patient safety relevant topics: Patient-safety feedback].

Background: Patient safety has become a hot topic, and there are numerous initiatives ongoing to improve patient-relevant processes. But how can both the effectiveness and sustainability of these initiatives be evaluated? The aim of the present paper was to describe the development of an instrument to assess patient safety aspects which can be used for normal hospital ward and intensive care unit rounds or in the operating room.

Methodology: All relevant patient safety guidelines and checklists of the University Hospital Graz were screened.

The Gap between Individual Perception and Compliance: A Qualitative Follow-Up Study of the Surgical Safety Checklist Application.

Background: "The Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) is important, but we don't use it adequately" is a well-suited statement that reflects the SSC's application in hospitals. Our aim was to follow up on our initial study on compliance (2014) by analysing differences between individual perception and compliance with the SSC.

Methods: We conducted a follow-up online survey to assess healthcare professionals' individual perception of, as well as satisfaction and compliance with the SSC three years following its thorough implementation.

Implementation of a surgical safety checklist: interventions to optimize the process and hints to increase compliance.

Background: A surgical safety checklist (SSC) was implemented and routinely evaluated within our hospital. The purpose of this study was to analyze compliance, knowledge of and satisfaction with the SSC to determine further improvements.

Methods: The implementation of the SSC was observed in a pilot unit.

Systematic implementation of clinical risk management in a large university hospital: the impact of risk managers.

Background: For health care systems in recent years, patient safety has increasingly become a priority issue. National and international strategies have been considered to attempt to overcome the most prominent hazards while patients are receiving health care. Thereby, clinical risk management (CRM) plays a dominant role in enabling the identification, analysis, and management of potential risks.