Patient Safety Culture: The Key to Sustained Quality Improvement

Research conducted in industries outside of medicine demonstrates a strong association between safety culture and outcomes. In surgery, however, few studies have assessed this important relationship. Safety culture is defined as “the product of the individual and group values, attitudes, competencies and patterns of behavior that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, an organization’s healthand safety management”.

Historically, analysis of surgical safety culture proved difficult to quantify with solid methodology and scientific rigor. The landscape surrounding patient safety culture changed with the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) 1999 report “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System”. The IOM found a significant level of morbidity and mortality related to medical errors and concluded that healthcare organizational leaders have a mandate to work to create a patientcentered culture of safety.(Read More)