Sustainability of a Research Program in Risk Management: Routine Implementation, Appropriation, Effectiveness, Development of the Safety Culture

Sustainability can be defined by several dimensions: the pursuit of program elements, the maintenance of its effectiveness, its integration into work processes, the adaptation of the program to the local context, its integration into the organizational culture, the dissemination of the program to other centres. Studies show that the continuation of the entire intervention is rare once the research stops.

The PRisM study (Pluriprofessionality and Risk Management through a Multifaceted Program in Primary Care) was a primary care risk management (RM) research project. Its purpose was to develop a safety culture within the participating multi-professional primary care structures. From 2015 to 2017, multi-professional primary care offices participated in the study, half of which implemented a RM program consisting of: 1) Training on RM in the context of primary care; 2) The appointment of a RM referent; 3) The conduct of six meetings of systematic analysis of incidents.

The PRisM study represents a favorable ground for the development of a methodology for evaluating the sustainability of a RM program in primary care.