Leading Voices in Healthcare

To Build a Culture of Safety, Use Human Factors Engineering

to-build-a-culture-of-safety-use-human-factors-engineering [https://support.doctorpodcasting.com/media/k2/items/cache/573e7c31d60229dc7e5d26f20af02846_S.jpg]https://support.doctorpodcasting.com/media/k2/items/cache/573e7c31d60229dc7e5d26f20af02846_Generic.jpgAmish Aghera, MD, Emergency Medicine Physician and the Director for the Center for Clinical Simulation and Safety and the Simulation Fellowship at Maimonides Medical Center, explains the necessity of creating tools to help keep humans from making mistakes. In recent years, many have pointed to systems issues as the cause of adverse events. Recognizing that healthcare workers are human and subject to human fallibility is critical in developing a culture of safety. Thus, developing decision support tools, medical early warning systems, and other similar programs is an essential element in keeping patients safe. Simulation is yet another tool to help clinicians develop skills without impacting patients directly.

Building Mutual Respect in a Culture of Safety

building-mutual-respect-in-a-culture-of-safety [https://support.doctorpodcasting.com/media/k2/items/cache/94e779ab8d94d3a2d1a0b65cff2abc3f_S.jpg]https://support.doctorpodcasting.com/media/k2/items/cache/94e779ab8d94d3a2d1a0b65cff2abc3f_Generic.jpgMichael Brodman, MD, professor and chair emeritus in the Raquel and Jaime Gilinski Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses how mutual respect is a prerequisite for any institution developing a culture of safety. Healthcare has an unfortunate tradition of being hierarchical, and this kind of culture is made worse by significant differences in background and training amongst healthcare professionals. The increasing complexity of medical care in nearly every aspect of care delivery, makes optimal teamwork and communication essential. And this is only possible if every member of the team feels respected and is free to speak up when they think something is wrong.

High Performance Teams—Crucial for a Culture of Safety

high-performance-teams-crucial-for-a-culture-of-safety [https://support.doctorpodcasting.com/media/k2/items/cache/3afae33d4dde9325af304a1f86e5c226_S.jpg]https://support.doctorpodcasting.com/media/k2/items/cache/3afae33d4dde9325af304a1f86e5c226_Generic.jpgMichael Leitman, MD, Professor of Surgery and Medical Education and Dean for Graduate Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses how important high-performance teams are to a culture of safety. While team training in healthcare was galvanized by the development of TeamSTEPPS, organizations still struggle to get all team members to buy in to this approach. Leaders have often pointed to success in other high reliability industries like aviation, the military, and nuclear power, but these models don’t often resonant with clinicians. Checklists and other tools have also become useful adjuncts in this endeavor, but there are numerous challenges in adopting these.

Just Culture Enables a Culture of Safety

just-culture-enables-a-culture-of-safety [https://support.doctorpodcasting.com/media/k2/items/cache/d9eac858db47854e7dce9c9406ecd57b_S.jpg]https://support.doctorpodcasting.com/media/k2/items/cache/d9eac858db47854e7dce9c9406ecd57b_Generic.jpgElizabeth Duthie, Director of Patient Safety at Montefiore Medical Center, discusses how important a just culture is to creating a culture of safety. While just culture has always had critical importance within safety culture, many are particularly aware of this concern today, given the recent criminal conviction of a former nurse for a medical error that occurred in 2019.