Patient safety starts with creating a culture of safety 

Patient Safety is one of the 8 domains in the NAHQ Healthcare Quality Competency Framework™ identified as critical to ensuring quality excellence…and healthcare excellence. Writing this column soon after Patient Safety Awareness Week, I find myself reflecting on the importance of promoting patient safety and helping to create a culture of safety. 

I recently had a conversation on this topic with a friend and former colleague, NAHQ member and SME-CPHQ review course instructor Sherri Hobbs-Messick, MSM, MSN, RN, CPHQ, CPPS, Vice President & Chief Quality, Safety & Experience Officer at UM Shore Regional Health. Sherri is on the front line and part of a team leading an entire health system’s journey to high reliability with the University of Maryland Medical System. Her years of expertise in patient safety gives her a well-rounded perspective. 

I would like to share the highlights of what we agreed are three critical areas we can all focus on to create a safety culture at our organizations. 

1. It starts with respect. From the moment a patient enters the healthcare system we have the opportunity to treat them and their families with respect. Simple actions, such as listening and looking them in the eye, calling them by their preferred name, and giving them your full attention go a long way in relieving anxiety, building trust and opening up lines of communication. Respect sets the foundation for the kind of strong relationship that is critical to ensuring the safest and best possible care.

2. We must also be advocates for safe systems. As quality & safety professionals, we are well positioned to lead the charge in creating and maintaining systems that support a culture of safety. We understand systems, performance improvement, patient safety and the principles behind patient safety to establish what’s needed AND make a compelling case to our team members about the importance of individual responsibility for patient safety. 

3. We need to ensure psychological safety for caregivers. Creating an environment where caregivers and team members feel that they can speak up if they have a concern is critical to creating a culture of safety. We can foster that sense of psychological safety by showing respect and gratitude for speaking up. Caregivers should feel that they are not only empowered but compelled to speak up because any concern is a valid one. This allows people to be partners in a patient’s overall healthcare experience. 

I hope reading about these three areas has inspired you to continue to promote a culture of safety. NAHQ is here to support your efforts with a variety of resources focused on patient safety. During Patient Safety Awareness Week, we gathered together several relevant on-demand learning labs you will find informative. These can be accessed by anyone and are complimentary to NAHQ members: 

• Survey Readiness – A Team Approach to Success 
• Focusing on the Intangible Factors of High-Reliability and Safety Culture 
• Exploring Innovative Approaches to Rapid Cycle Process Improvement 

There is also an upcoming live learning lab on April 23 at 12 p.m. CT, Implementing Structured Handoffs to Achieve High Reliability. Register now to ensure this session is on your schedule. 

I leave you with this call to action. Be a champion for creating a culture of quality & safety. Your leadership in this area can make all the difference in the way patients and their families receive care and navigate the healthcare system. Patients deserve the absolute best care we can provide. We can achieve this by serving together as a force for quality and patient safety.  

Patricia (Patty) Resnik, MJ, MBA, RRT, FACHE, CPHQ, CHC, CHPC

NAHQ President