Rural Responder: Learning from Our Mistakes
What does developing a culture of safety mean for the rural EMS leader?
A culture of safety is not a reaction to an accident, medication error or employee injury. It's a sum of proactive behaviors that begin long before an ambulance responds to a call, a medication is drawn up or an employee is in a potentially dangerous situation. As a leader, your responsibility is to begin the conversation about your current culture, identify behaviors and processes that need to change, and model behaviors that show safety is Job No. 1 for each and every employee.
Culture of Safety Resources
- The Just Culture Community--www.justculture.org
- Five Rights of Medication Safety-- http://public-healthcare-issues.suite101.com/article.cfm/five_rights_of_medication_safety
- Develop a Culture of Safety-- www.ihi.org/IHI/Topics/PatientSafety/SafetyGeneral/Changes/Develop+a+Culture+of+Safety.htm
- Promoting a Culture of Safety-- www.ahrq.gov/clinic/ptsafety/Chap40.htm
Aarron Reinert, NREMT-P, BA, is executive director for Lakes Region EMS, a rural ambulance service in Minnesota that covers a service area of 450 square miles.
Gary Wingrove is responsible for strategic affairs at Mayo Clinic Medical Transport in Rochester, MN, chairs the rural EMS issue group for the National Rural Health Association and is president of the National EMS Management Association.
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