Hospital leaders oftentimes walk a fine line between being encouraging and critical when they become involved in quality or clinical improvement programs, says Joseph Cappiello, chief operating officer of Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program.. Leaders must set the tone and model the behavior they expect from staff when issues arise.
"Everyone looks to see what leadership does and how they respond to issues — that behavior sets the tone," says Mr. Cappiello. "Leadership behavior is the surest way for staff to understand the priorities of the organization and how they themselves should act. What we need more of in healthcare are leaders who are unafraid to be critical of themselves and the organization they lead. Leaders with the courage to be critical, send a clear message to staff that they should be doing the same — looking for opportunities to improve and having the courage to bring those ideas forward."
Leaders must have an early warning and recognition system for issues of risk and respond quickly and appropriately to mitigate that risk wherever possible. They must also ensure there are fail-safe systems in place so the right patient is treated at the right time in the right setting. "I think all of this leads to the real business of improving the healthcare delivery systems," he says.
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"Everyone looks to see what leadership does and how they respond to issues — that behavior sets the tone," says Mr. Cappiello. "Leadership behavior is the surest way for staff to understand the priorities of the organization and how they themselves should act. What we need more of in healthcare are leaders who are unafraid to be critical of themselves and the organization they lead. Leaders with the courage to be critical, send a clear message to staff that they should be doing the same — looking for opportunities to improve and having the courage to bring those ideas forward."
Leaders must have an early warning and recognition system for issues of risk and respond quickly and appropriately to mitigate that risk wherever possible. They must also ensure there are fail-safe systems in place so the right patient is treated at the right time in the right setting. "I think all of this leads to the real business of improving the healthcare delivery systems," he says.
More Articles on Patient Safety:
4 Strategies to Keep Infection Prevention Specialists Ahead of the Curve
Horizontal vs. Vertical Strategies to Reduce HAIs: Q&A With Kathryn Bowsher of PurThread Technologies
Kansas hospitals Reduce Bloodstream Infections by 38%