Assessment

Abstract

The most important determinant of value in a health care organization is an intangible asset called social capital. Social capital comprises the talent, knowledge, goodwill, trust, skill, and interconnectedness of people. Social capital is a critical characteristic of organizations and the ingredient that allows people to work together for a common purpose. Organizations need objective data to understand the experience and well-being of their health care professionals. A baseline measurement is necessary to assess the current state and to evaluate progress toward an ideal future state. Objective measures of the efficiency of the practice environment can also serve as improvement targets and often provide continuous real time data on progress without burdening staff with repeated surveys.