Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Cincinnati Children's Blog
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
HOME/Health Care Quality/Safety and quality in a high reliability organization

Safety and quality in a high reliability organization

 

December 15, 2009
2 Comments
By: Thomas McCormally

In this space recently, Dr. Steve (our safety officer, Steve Muething, MD) wrote about our patient safety journey. He did so by reminding us at the Tuesday morning Grand Rounds that we are not perfect, but that we’re making progress and we’re always trying to improve.
That’s something he and others try to engrain in all our employees. It’s not always easy. But the goal is to make sure every patient receives the best possible care every time. Not some of the time – all the time.
Safety is not a novel concept. In fact, in some industries, like the airlines or nuclear power generation, it is job one. For them, us and others in health care, it’s a quest to become a “high reliability organization.” It’s not just a name or a gimmick. It’s real. Like life and death.
At Grand Rounds, we learned about the five characteristics that make up the mindset of high reliability organizations. The characteristics are essential to achieve exceptionally low levels of defects. Without a constant state of “mindfulness,” an organization cannot create or sustain highly reliable systems.

The characteristics are:

  • Sensitivity to operations: we must recognize the complications of our systems, understand processes change and work quickly to overcome problems.
  • Reluctance to simplify: Healthcare is complex. The system can fail in ways we can’t imagine; and we can’t possibly be prepared for all the things that can go wrong.
  • Pre-occupation with failure/errors: We focus on predicting and eliminating disasters, not just reacting to to them.We consider “near misses” as opportunities to improve.
  • Deference to expertise: Doctors, nurses, parents and even the children themselves have knowledge. We can learn from all of them.
  • Resilience: We work to quickly contain errors, react in innovative ways and continue to serve patients despite “system” errors.

But enough from me. We only know what we know. There are lots of people you can learn from on this topic. One of our favorite web sites is the federal Agency for Healtcare Research and Quality.
We’re glad the country is focused on health care reform. When Congress settles on a health insurance plan that’s been the center of the debate for months, we look forward to moving the discussion to ways to change the outcome for all patients. We’re planning to be a part of that.

Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Related Articles

Parents of Teens: 8 Facts To Know About Nicotine in E-Cigarettes
Parents of Teens: 8 Facts To Know About Nicotine in E-Cigarettes
Special Needs Car Seat: Find The Best Fit For Your Child
Special Needs Car Seat: Find The Best Fit For Your Child
School Bus Safety – Avoid the Danger Zone
School Bus Safety – Avoid the Danger Zone
Fall Allergies Part I: Allergy Basics
Fall Allergies Part I: Allergy Basics
TAGS:

About the author: Thomas McCormally

Write A Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

hz December 16, 2009 at 1:02 pm

Fonts are too small to read

    Headshot of employee Kate Setter
    Kate Setter December 30, 2009 at 8:50 am

    We agree. We’re working on increasing the font size. Thank you for the comment.

Topics

  • Cancer and Blood Diseases
  • Child Development and Behavior
  • Childhood Obesity
  • Chronic Care Networks
  • Cincinnati Walks for Kids
  • Featured Faces
  • Fetal Conditions
  • Fitness and Nutrition
  • Food Allergies
  • Ghana 2012
  • Health Care Public Policy
  • Health Care Quality
  • Health Care Reform
  • Healthy Living
  • Heart Conditions
  • Hospital Operations
  • How We Do It
  • Learning and Growing
  • Meet The Team
  • Nurses Week 2012
  • Patient Family Experience
  • Patient Flow
  • Patient Safety
  • Patient Stories
  • Pin of the Week
  • Radiology
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Research
  • Research and Discoveries
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Share Your Story
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Vaccines
  • Volunteerism
  • What Makes Us Different
  • What's New
See All Topics
See Less Topics

Subscribe

Never miss a post! Sign up to get new blog updates delivered to your email.

Popular Posts

  • 6 Questions to Ask When Your Child Complains of Chest Pain 1.1k views
  • Stuttering In Young Kids: When To Be Concerned 584 views
  • 4 Questions to Ask When Your Child Has Recurrent Croup 484 views
  • Laryngomalacia: Is My Child’s Noisy Breathing Serious? 453 views
  • Stay Safe Outside this Fall: Avoid Wild Mushrooms and Berries 409 views
  • Warning Signs of Suicide and Ways to Get Help 407 views
About

The Cincinnati Children’s blog features thoughts and perspectives from our experts on all things pediatric health. This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn More »

Contact Us
  • 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
  • 1-513-636-4200 | 1-800-344-2462
  • TTY: 1-513-636-4900
  • socialmedia@cchmc.org
Connect With Us
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us

© 2009-2022 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center