Date of Award
12-7-2011
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN)
Department
Nursing
Abstract
Hospitals are challenged to create a strong culture of safety within their organization to eliminate harm to patients. This paper describes a project to advance a culture of safety on a cardiovascular acute care unit at an urban hospital through the creation of a unit-based safety team. Based on the premise that patient safety is a local phenomenon, the rationale for the project is to aim interventions at the unit level where they will have the greatest impact. Four key steps in creating an effective unit-based safety team are highlighted: team member selection, team development, enacting interventions, and evaluating interventions for effectiveness. Transformational leadership plays a key role in inspiring and promoting a vision for patient safety, as well as being instrumental in the development of the safety team. Madeline Leininger's theory of culture care diversity and universality provides support for the project by identifying the cultural values and norms of the hospital unit and guiding the development of a unit's culture of safety.
Identifier
SC 11.MAN.2011.Carr.LK
Recommended Citation
Carr, Lynda K., "Advancing a Culture of Safety Through the Creation of a Unit-Based Safety Team" (2011). Theses and Graduate Projects. 472.
https://idun.augsburg.edu/etd/472