Enhancing Patient Safety through Organizational Learning: Are Patient Safety Indicators a Step in the Right Direction?

The authors noted increasing use of Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs), and evaluated whether analysis of PSIs contributes to improved patient safety. PSIs are calculated through administrative data, and the authors suggested that without organizational learning, PSIs and other measurements may not be as effective. They describe a process for using PSIs to improve organizational learning. […]

Creating High Reliability in Health Care Organizations

This article describes the creation of a patient safety model, and the results of the model’s test in intensive care units. The model was developed using elements of HRO theory, including development of standard processes, and improved communication. Emphasis was placed on improving organizational learning through application of lessons learned, so that future errors could […]

Innovation in Organizations from a Complex Adaptive Systems Perspective

In this article, organizations were described as being composed of people who undergo growth through individual innovation and self organization. An individual belongs to a number of larger, more complex groups, ranging from the immediate team in a department to the corporation or business entity as a whole, then ultimately society as a whole. Though the […]