Creating and sustaining a culture of safety in any organization is an ongoing challenge. Despite the majority of organizations striving for such, not every organization can boast that they truly have a culture of safety. Whether you work in a coffee shop, oil refinery or hospital, creating and sustaining a culture of safety requires hard work. It requires a commitment from organizational leadership. Regardless of the organization, leaders, employees and consumers benefit from a culture of safety. In most cases, this means that when hard decisions must be made, safety trumps fiscal gain. Doing the right thing doesn't always come cheap. Doing the right thing isn't always easy. Depending on the organization, it may initially be hard to see how the cost of a culture of safety pays off. Obviously, in an industrial environment, a culture of safety translates into less accidents and an avoidance of a loss in productivity. In this case, it is easy to see how creating and sustaining a culture of safety ultimately will save the organization money in the future. It is not uncommon to frequently see a sign indicating how many days since the last accident. What if every organization was required to disclose this on a sign? What if every health care organization had a sign that listed how many days since the last "accident"? How would consumers, meaning patients, react?
Health care has long been focused on quality improvement and error mitigation. But it is not enough. Safety must be engrained in the organizational culture -- from the top down -- to take hold. Sustaining a culture of safety in health care is paramount if we are to drastically reduce the number of medical errors in the U.S. The latest estimate in 2013, reported 440,000 deaths per year related to medical errors. It is easy to go back to the prior statement that a commitment from organizational leadership is all it takes to create a culture of safety. While an organizational commitment is essential, the culture will not shift to one of safety unless the employees consciously choose to engage and embrace the change. Choosing a culture of safety requires both a leadership and employee commitment. Nurses, the backbone of health care and almost 4 million strong, are essential in creating and sustaining a culture of safety. This year, the American Nurses Association (ANA) chose Culture of Safety as its theme for Nurses Week 2016, and I applaud them for it.
Nurses are key in the transformation of U.S. health care. They continue to advocate for the patient, and work diligently to coordinate care across the health care continuum. Nurses see themselves as the gatekeeper of patient safety but often cite the hospital culture as preventing them from achieving patient safety goals. Safety has always been at the forefront of every nursing decision, but the charge delivered by the ANA is elevating that goal to another level. Yes, safety is the responsibility of nurses but safety is the responsibility of everyone: leaders, health care providers and even patients. Yes, patients. Providers can't do it alone.
In 1999, consumers and providers began to focus on the alarming statistics of an estimated 98,000 deaths per year from medical errors reported by the Institute of Medicine publication, To Err is Human. While we now believe that the initial report may have been drastically underestimated (now reported at 440,000 deaths per year), it is time to shift from determining what number may be more accurate and focus on a solution. Does the actual overall number matter if you or your loved one suffered as a result of an error? "Chasing zero" errors require engaging all providers and consumers in a firm commitment to create and sustain a culture of safety. It's not about blaming or pointing fingers as much as it is about solving the medical error crisis. The U.S., as a nation, must commit to a culture of safety in health care. This year, as we celebrate nurses during the week of May 6-12, let's celebrate every individual, both paid and unpaid caregiver, who works tirelessly to keep patients safe.