Patient Safety Concepts
In 1996, Diane Vaughan coined the term "Normalization of Deviance" to describe how NASA and its related industries rationalized their way into the decision to launch the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. Decades later, this safety concept still applies - and is very germane to many of our current QC practices in the laboratory.
We explore the nature of Error, its varieties and occurences in the lab, and consider the proposed changes in QC through the perspective of Swiss cheese. No. We're not kidding. Swiss cheese.
Our second lesson on Patient Safety examines the traits of an ideal safety culture - and compares current laboratory practices to those ideals. Does "lab culture" measure up to "safety culture"? What prevents us from reaching the ideal safety culture?
You probably already know that Patient Safety is an important "new" concept in healthcare. It's a hot topic in articles, at conferences, and new institutions have been created and new laws have been passed just to promote Patient Safety. So where does the lab fit in?