Daily Organizational Safety Huddles: An Important Pause for Situational Awareness

Just Culture: The Foundation of Staff Safety in the Perioperative Environment

“…Safety huddles are an intentional pause and discussion of critical safety elements concerning the situation at hand 7 . Regardless of the platform, safety huddles provide team members with the ability to understand (in real time) what barriers, challenges, or disruptions in the environment could lead to harm 7 . Armed with this information, team members can proactively and dynamically flex resources to resolve the identified safety concerns 7 .…”

“…Regardless of the platform, safety huddles provide team members with the ability to understand (in real time) what barriers, challenges, or disruptions in the environment could lead to harm 7 . Armed with this information, team members can proactively and dynamically flex resources to resolve the identified safety concerns 7 . For example, during the daily team meeting, a safety huddle might consist of the OR charge nurse sharing that maintenance personnel have identified a gas leak in OR 3 and then instructing team members who experience any signs or symptoms of exposure to seek medical attention if needed.…”

“…The Joint Commission recommends that health care organizations strive to become HROs 7,19‐22 . Personnel from health care organizations in pursuit of HRO status can use a variety of tools and strategies as they work toward achieving this goal.…”

“…When an organization has a culture of safety, embedded in that culture is a collective mindfulness and a trusting atmosphere in which staff members and leaders embrace open and transparent communication and share the same values and beliefs about providing safe, high‐quality health care 3,6 . When mistakes or process breakdowns occur in a culture of safety, the approach used by organizational leaders is not punitive in nature; instead, leaders and staff members recognize mistakes as opportunities for learning and developing process improvements to prevent future mistakes 3,6,7 . When health care leaders address an individual staff member’s mistakes or breakdowns in a punitive, threatening manner, they ultimately create an unsafe environment by blaming the individual for the mistake rather than determining why the mistake occurred in the first place 3,5,6,9 …”

“…A core strategy for organizational leaders to establish safe environments for both patients and staff members is taking responsibility for creating and nurturing a culture of safety. Leaders can strive to reach this goal in their facilities by implementing a just culture —a model and framework in which staff members are empowered to share concerns, near misses, or errors freely without fear of punishment 1,3-7 …”