Sr. Manager, Breast Imaging Clinical Operations University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, Texas
Creating a Just Culture for safety in the healthcare setting requires shared learning in an atmosphere of trust. The trust atmosphere is created when psychological safety is present in environments where workforce members feel safe to speak up about safety concerns. High-Reliability Organizations (HRO) hold people accountable for following policies and procedures but unite them in shared learning when errors occur through nonpunitive responses. A Just Culture exists when high-reliability organizations recognize that most medical errors are due to flawed systems, not individual negligence, and that staff is being listened to and supported. Through research survey data, this presentation aims to identify barriers that medical imaging technologists and radiation therapists feel are present when assessing or identifying patient safety concerns and the likelihood of following through to complete a safety event report. Eight domains are identified to explore respondents' attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors toward patient safety. Through education and training on the five fundamental principles of HROs, human factors engineering, psychological safety, and the use of error assessment tools, imaging leaders will begin to remove negative stigmas associated with event reporting and begin to shift teams to transparency, learning, and improved patient safety and quality.