High Reliability Organization
Our High Reliability Organization Journey
Much like the airline industry, the healthcare industry performs complex, high-risk processes where errors can lead to great patient and employee harm. The aviation industry has decreased the rate of fatal crashes to 1 in 2.5 million flights. Airlines achieved this by becoming High Reliability Organizations (HROs).
Hospital systems, such as Prospect Medical Holdings, are embracing the principles of High Reliability Organizations (HROs) in the promotion of patient safety and efficient healthcare delivery. HROs have managed to drastically reduce or eliminate accidents and disasters despite operating in complex environments.
Prospect Medical Holdings has been rolling out HRO training across our enterprise focused on safety behaviors and universal skills, which hardwire communication, as well as relationship and reliability skills to reduce errors and improve safety. This training addresses the importance of "speaking up" to prevent errors.
We have already trained thousands of staff and providers and are working to achieve 100 percent completion with the goal to:
- Empower everyone, but especially frontline staff, to take the lead in preventing potential errors and recommending changes to improve processes and behaviors with the goal of zero harm to our patients.
- Confirm that empowerment transforms culture.
- Acknowledge that each person can improve the safety of our care, whether it's reporting a safety concern, proposing an idea to improve communication, or coaching a colleague when necessary.
- Have leaders round regularly to provide coaching through observation and feedback.
By focusing on zero harm to patients, employees are reconnected to their purpose. Learn more by watching our HRO video.
Nurses in High Reliability Organizations
If you are a nurse who thrives in environments that provide autonomy and empowers you to make decisions and promote collegial relationships, our hospitals may be for you! To empower our staff—and especially nurses—Prospect Medical Holdings has begun the journey to become an HRO.
HRO hospitals are committed to the goal of zero patient harm; a culture of safety for patients, nurses and other staff; and widespread implementation of highly effective process improvement tools.
As evidence shows, nurse satisfaction has a positive impact on patient outcomes. A strong culture of safety enhances nurse satisfaction.
To support our culture of safety, we've established behavior expectations for clinical and non-clinical staff. These expectations call everyone to make a personal commitment to safety, be accountable for clear and complete communication, and remove barriers to cross-functional collaboration.
Our leaders frequently round on units to reinforce safety behaviors and work with nurses to find and fix critical safety issues. For example, our nurses are encouraged to identify potential for patient harm and suggest opportunities for improvement. In addition, our leaders hold daily operational safety huddles to solicit opportunities for improvement. As a result, our leadership has created conditions for open communication for feedback from nurses and other frontline staff.
In summary, frontline leaders round with staff every day, give 5:1 positive to negative feedback, conduct HRO organizational and department huddles, and model the expected safety behaviors.
If you are looking for a culture that proactively addresses problems, engages nurses in the performance improvement processes, and creates a safe environment for nurses and patients, you will enjoy your career with us!
We look forward to partnering with our nurses on our journey to transform healthcare.