Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Medicine and Health Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Patient Safety Culture And High Reliability Organizations, Jared D. Padgett Jun 2014

Patient Safety Culture And High Reliability Organizations, Jared D. Padgett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A 1999 evaluation of case studies performed by staff from the Institute of Medicine found that between 40,000 and 98,000 patients died from preventable errors, while 43,598 individuals died in car accidents that year. A 2011 report increased that estimate nearly 10 times. Widespread preventable patient harm still occurs despite an increase in healthcare regulations. High-reliability organization theory has contributed to improved safety and may potentially reverse this trend. This explorative single case study explored how the perceptions and experiences of nursing and respiratory staff affected the successful transition of a healthcare organization into a reliability-seeking organization. Fourteen participants from …


The Ins And Outs Of Change Of Shift Handoffs Between Nurses: A Communication Challenge, John S. Carroll, Michele Williams, Theresa M. Gallivan Jan 2014

The Ins And Outs Of Change Of Shift Handoffs Between Nurses: A Communication Challenge, John S. Carroll, Michele Williams, Theresa M. Gallivan

Michele Williams

Background: Communication breakdowns have been identified as a source of problems in complex work settings such as hospital-based healthcare. Methods: The authors conducted a multi-method study of change of shift handoffs between nurses, including interviews, survey, audio taping and direct observation of handoffs, posthandoff questionnaires, and archival coding of clinical records. Results: The authors found considerable variability across units, nurses and, surprisingly, roles. Incoming and outgoing nurses had different expectations for a good handoff: incoming nurses wanted a conversation with questions and eye contact, whereas outgoing nurses wanted to tell their story without interruptions. More experienced nurses abbreviated their reports …