8 JUNE 2025IN MY OPINIONIn the fast-moving Healthcare environment of today, safety is often overlooked and forgotten. Safety is pertinent in all aspects of healthcare and is not something we talk about until it fails. I want to take a few moments to dive into the phrase "Culture of Safety," what it means, and how to foster it. A culture of Safety is one where Safety is at the forefront of leadership. In this environment, senior leadership is taking an active part in driving change and improving the culture committed to safety. A safe environment is also where people feel safe identifying safety concerns, reporting incidents, and working to improve outcomes. An organization with a robust culture of safety is one where outcomes and incidents are reviewed at all levels. Safety is routinely discussed and reviewed by executive leadership, and people are encouraged to report all levels of incidents. These organizations have developed vigorous incident reporting systems where incidents are reviewed to identify trends and improve outcomes. Incidents in healthcare are often classified as no harm, near misses, adverse events, or critical sentinel events. The challenge when developing a culture of safety is getting people to identify and act on near-miss events. Near-miss events are defined as errors with the potential to result in harm but didn't. These often happen several times before they result in an adverse event. The reporting of a near-miss event provides the most valuable opportunity for improvement. Leadership involvement and support are critical in developing a robust reporting environment and culture of safety. An engaged leader knows that thorough reporting not only decreases incidents but also improves safety, ensures compliance with regulations, and saves time, money, and resources. Leadership is responsible for creating an open learning environment where reporting is seen as positive and where all team members are working together. In organizations with a positive culture of Safety, incident reporting is a sign of active engagement and ownership. There are many ways to bring Safety to the forefront; three that have proven to be impactful are safety rounds, By Rachelle Petika, DNP, MBA, FNP-C, Senior Director of Practice Health and Safety, ArchWell HealthCreating a Culture of Safety
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