Promoting a culture of patient safety: using the principles of just culture to improve transparency and risk reporting in the hospital setting (1 August 2025)

Summary

An inner-city tertiary care center with over 4,000 employees faced challenges with low participation rates in patient safety surveys and incident reporting, showing areas for improvement in leadership support and information exchange.

The hospital implemented a comprehensive strategy addressing these challenges through updated educational resources, direct feedback on missed reporting opportunities, and robust Patient Safety and Quality team collaboration emphasizing leadership engagement.

The integrated approach to patient safety resulted in enhanced transparency and a statistically significant, positive shift in the culture of safety. The collaborative efforts between Patient Safety and Quality departments, along with strong leadership support, were instrumental in these improvements. These findings highlight the importance of collaboration and leadership support in enhancing patient safety culture and transparency in healthcare organisations.