10 ways to improve hospital safety

The safety of a healthcare organization starts with its leaders. Healthcare leaders can make their organization safer by creating a culture of safety, especially one in which physicians feel free to report mistakes or unsafe conditions to improve patient care.

IntelliCentrics, a multi-national security corporation headquartered in Dallas, released the following 10 tips to improve safety:

  1. Talk about patient safety and talk about it often. The CEO and other C-suite executives should discuss patient safety with department heads and staff regularly.
  2. Encourage employees to make safety the number one priority, before cost savings and productivity.
  3. Set goals and track improvements. Benchmarking will help determine which safety initiatives are working and which ones are not.
  4. Give staff the responsibility and authority to take action and improve safety on their own.
  5. Develop a safety system that is consistent throughout the organization, and be sure this system takes cross-functional perspectives into account.
  6. Exceptions ruin the integrity of the safety net. Do not allow staff or executives to be exempt from procedures.
  7. Listen to suggestions and complaints. Make sure employees know how and where they can voice their concerns.
  8. If safety procedures fail, focus on improvement rather than blame. Everyone in the organization should be focused on preventing the same mistake from occurring again.
  9. Consider safety improvements a continuous project. Don't stop once initial goals are met.
  10. Establish a legacy of safety. A strong culture of safety should not rely on a single individual or group.

More articles about IntelliCentrics:

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