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MUSC Patient Safety Webpage

Safely Speaking Archive

Much has been written in recent years regarding high reliability organizations (HROs) and their lessons for healthcare. HROs are complex, high risk organizations with exceptionally high safety performance. Frequent examples include aviation and nuclear power. However, translating the lessons learned in these industries to health care is difficult. A recent article in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety examines the US Department of Energy and its nuclear defense mission. Like healthcare, the DOE is operationally diverse. The authors recommend utilizing the DOE's Integrated Safety Management (ISM) Policy in these 7 guiding principles:

1. Leadership Commitment Is Essential for Creating a Culture of Safety
2. Everyone Is Responsible for Safety
3. Empower Governing Bodies to Create and Enforce Safety Policies
4. Eliminate Preventable Harm
5. Establish a Universal, Uniform Approach for Safety Management
6. Mandate Reporting of Safety Issues, Errors, and Near Misses
7. Cultivate Learning as Part of the Organizational Mentality

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