Psychological Safety and Error Reporting Within Veterans Health Administration Hospitals

Abstract

A substantial minority would not report an error and were willing to admit so in a private interview setting. Their stated reasons as well as higher psychological safety means for supervisory employees both suggest power as an important determinant. Intentions to report were associated with psychological safety, strongly suggesting this climate aspect as instrumental to improving patient safety and reducing costs.

Safety culture in health care teams: A narrative review of the literature

“…Nurse practitioners are frequently the advocate and voice of the patient, meaning that nurse leaders must encourage them to identify and challenge any obstacles to speaking up for patient safety (Sayre, McNeese‐Smith, Phillips, & Leach, ). Leaders’ behaviours can create psychologically safe workplaces where all employees feel comfortable expressing concerns and ideas in order to improve quality of care (Aranzamendez, James, & Toms, ; Derickson, Fishman, Osatuke, Teclaw, & Ramsel, ; Newman, Donohue, & Eva, ; Rathert, Ishqaidef, & May, ). These behaviours include inclusiveness, which is when leaders encourage and appreciate others’ contributions, and behavioural integrity, which is when their words and deeds are in alignment.…”

“…Leaders' engagement and commitment to safety affect the safety culture of the team (Derickson et al, 2015;Nembhard & Edmondson, 2006;Rathert et al, 2009). Leader inclusiveness and behavioural integrity encourage psychological safety within health care teams and has important effects on employee engagement, communication and continuous improvement in relation to quality and safety (Newman et al, 2017).…”

Infection prevention in the operating room anesthesia work area

“…77 Fostering psychological safety and comfort in taking interpersonal risk may help workplace team learning and improvement. 78 Clarity of expected behaviors in the context of a provider's role can help focus educational activities. 79 Interventions such as reminder cards or checklists have been utilized to improve adherence to transmission-based precautions, 80,81 as has simulation for education and evaluation of different aspects of anesthesia practice.…”

Closing the Loop with Ambulatory Staff on Safety Reports

“…M edical errors are a leading cause of death and morbidity. 1 To reduce harm, hospitals use various methods to identify and analyze near misses and medical errors, including morbidity and mortality conferences, root cause analyses, and voluntary electronic safety reporting systems. Safety reporting systems allow hospitals and ambulatory practices to identify and mitigate the potential for adverse events and offer the ability to analyze and trend data.…”