Table 4.

Elements of a culture of safety

Acknowledge the high-risk nature of the activity

Establish safety as a key goal in policies and procedures

Evaluate errors as “system failures,” not as an individual’s failures

Commit needed resources, including time and technology

Recognize that a “safe” environment is not error free

Report “near misses” and events in blame- and retaliation-free environment

Develop processes for peer review and analysis of root cause