Improving patient safety in radiology: concepts for a comprehensive patient safety program

A comprehensive safety program can have a positive influence on safety performance and safety culture within a department of radiology. The program should include both vertical interventions aimed at specific areas of potential safety errors as well as horizontal interventions aimed at improving safety culture and decreasing the baseline rate of human error. In our opinion, the key cultural transformations that must occur to improve safety culture include recognition that safety is an issue, emphasis that everyone is accountable for patient safety, and creating a culture where people are expected and encouraged to speak up in the face of uncertainty. The article describes the horizontal interventions to improve patient safety used in our department.