Developing a culture of safety in ambulatory care settings.

The focus on medical error prevention has prompted forward-thinking healthcare providers to increasingly support an organizational culture that supports and promotes patient safety. A culture of safety is necessary before other patient safety practices can be introduced successfully. Various elements of a culture of safety are discussed. Some organizations have implemented survey tools to assess their safety culture. Assessing an organization's culture of safety is just the beginning. Setting priorities for action and identifying strategies to improve healthcare safety must follow with support of the organization's leaders and frontline staff. Recommendations for action are provided.