Hospital leaders must involve the healthcare facility staff in safety initiatives, according to National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) President and CEO Tejal Gandhi, M.D.
The NPSF’s recent report, “Free from Harm: Accelerating Patient Safety Improvement Fifteen Years after ‘To Err is Human’ ” said facilities need to move toward total systems safety, according to an article on the Hospitals & Health Networks website.
A system needs to involve everyone in patient safety — whether by reporting a safety risk, speaking up to a clinician who may be doing something that causes risk, or suggesting better workflows.
The best ideas for improvement come from those who do the work every day, and facilities professionals should be present on all safety- and quality-related committees to make sure their perspective is presented and understood, Gandhi said.