Standardizing Safety across the System

"For the longest time, discussions about culture of safety was dedicated to hospitals," says Carol Clark, BSN, RN, MJ, acting director of the ECRI PSO. "Clearly, that never should have been the case. But now the denominators have swung exponentially toward ambulatory, long-term, and other healthcare settings and much-deserved attention is being paid to the culture of safety in these areas."

The modern healthcare system stretches beyond hospital walls, across the continuum of care, and across state lines. A system's culture of safety must have the same reach. As the expansion of health systems continues, organizations find themselves facing many settings with differing cultures, processes, and resources. And many healthcare organizations that do not have the infrastructure of a large...