In order to foster a just culture within our healthcare organization and address the increasing number of safety incidents

QUESTION

For the purposes of this project, imagine you are an employee of a healthcare system that offers acute care or long-term care services. Colleagues in your department engage in conversations around creating a just culture. However, there has been an increased number and variety of safety incidents throughout the facility over the past year. This increase indicates that there is an opportunity to grow a more just culture from the current culture.

To achieve this improved just culture, you and your team decided to prepare a safety summary report using the drivers of safety tables you created regarding two recent safety incidents within your healthcare system. Your goal for this summary is to effectively advocate for change and foster a just culture within your organization. Your table will help you create the safety summary report. You should utilize feedback you receive from this assignment when you prepare your safety summary report.

Review the employee handbook, policies, practices, and procedures of the organization you work for to find the topic and its associated details or information that will help you address the violations. If you do not currently have an employer, or if there is a problem using your organization’s materials, contact your instructor to identify an alternative set of policies, practices, and procedures to use for your project.

Create one drivers of safety table for your selected scenario using the Drivers of Safety Table Template. You must select a scenario that you will analyze for your course project from the Detailed Scenario Incidents document. You can select a scenario from acute care or one from long-term care.

Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria in your drivers of safety table:

1. Selection of Scenario: Identify the scenario that you will utilize in your course project.
2. Organizational Materials: Identify the organizational materials you will utilize in your course project.
3. Regulation, Standard, or Law: Determine the regulations, standards, or laws that could be considered external drivers for your selected scenario.
4. External and Internal Drivers: Summarize the difference between and uses for external and internal drivers.
5. Alignment With Healthcare Organization: Discuss the alignment between the identified organizational materials and the regulations, standards, or laws relevant to your selected scenario.
6. Impact on Culture of Safety and Relevant HRO Principles: Discuss how the behavior in the scenario can impact a culture of safety and which HRO principles should be utilized to help resolve the problems in the scenario.
7. Relevant Stakeholders: Identify stakeholders who oversee aspects of the behavior in the scenario or who would be needed to implement your recommended changes.
8. Suggested Revisions to Healthcare Organization Policies or Procedures: Describe your recommended changes to organizational policies and procedures to prevent the problems in the scenario from happening again.
9. List of Evidence to Support Changes in Policies or Procedures: Identify at least two pieces of research that support your recommendations for changes.

ANSWER

In order to foster a just culture within our healthcare organization and address the increasing number of safety incidents, our team has decided to prepare a safety summary report using the drivers of safety tables. This report aims to advocate for change and promote a culture of accountability, learning, and improvement. We have selected a scenario from the Detailed Scenario Incidents document for analysis, focusing on either acute care or long-term care settings.

To effectively address the violations and drive change, we will refer to the employee handbook, policies, practices, and procedures of our organization. These organizational materials provide the framework for understanding the expectations and guidelines set forth by our healthcare system. By utilizing these materials, we can identify the specific details and information necessary to address the violations within the selected scenario.

In analyzing our selected scenario, we will consider the external drivers that impact our organization. This includes regulations, standards, or laws that are relevant to the situation. These external drivers provide the baseline requirements and guidelines for ensuring safety and quality of care within the healthcare industry. By aligning our practices with these external drivers, we can establish a solid foundation for promoting a just culture.

Differentiating between external and internal drivers is crucial in understanding how to address the problems in our scenario. External drivers are the regulations, standards, or laws that are set by external entities, such as governmental or accrediting bodies. These drivers provide the legal and ethical framework within which healthcare organizations must operate. Internal drivers, on the other hand, are the policies, practices, and procedures established by the organization itself. These internal drivers should be aligned with the external drivers to ensure compliance and promote a culture of safety.

In examining the alignment between the identified organizational materials and the relevant regulations, standards, or laws, we will assess the extent to which our organization is adhering to the external drivers. This assessment will help us identify any gaps or areas for improvement within our policies and procedures. By ensuring alignment, we can enhance patient safety, improve outcomes, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

The behavior observed in the scenario has the potential to significantly impact the culture of safety within our organization. A just culture emphasizes fairness, accountability, and learning from errors rather than blame. It promotes open communication, transparency, and a non-punitive approach to addressing safety incidents. By embracing the principles of a just culture and utilizing high-reliability organization (HRO) principles, we can create an environment that encourages reporting, learning, and system improvement.

Identifying relevant stakeholders is essential for implementing the recommended changes and ensuring their successful implementation. Stakeholders may include nursing leaders, administrators, quality improvement teams, and frontline staff who oversee or are directly involved in aspects of the behavior observed in the scenario. Collaboration and engagement of these stakeholders are key to driving the necessary changes and sustaining a culture of safety.

Based on our analysis, we will propose specific revisions to organizational policies and procedures to prevent the recurrence of the problems identified in the scenario. These recommendations will be aimed at addressing the root causes, improving communication, enhancing staff training and education, and establishing clear protocols for patient interactions and consent. By implementing these changes, we can create a safer environment for our patients and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

To support our recommended changes, we will draw upon evidence from research. We will identify at least two pieces of research that demonstrate the effectiveness of similar interventions or strategies in improving patient safety and preventing safety incidents. These research findings will strengthen the case for our proposed changes and provide a solid evidence-based foundation for our recommendations.

In conclusion, by utilizing the drivers of safety tables and analyzing a specific scenario within our healthcare organization, we can effectively advocate for change and foster a just culture. By aligning our organizational materials with external drivers, addressing gaps, and implementing recommended revisions to policies and procedures, we can create a culture of safety, learning, and continuous improvement. The engagement of relevant stakeholders and the incorporation of evidence-based practices will further support our efforts in promoting a safer and more accountable healthcare environment.