Teaching the culture of safety

Although a healthcare culture of safety has been a practice priority for many years, there has been less attention to incorporating culture of safety content into the education of healthcare professionals. Students need to become knowledgeable about system vulnerabilities and understand how knowledge, skills, and attitudes promoting utilization of safety science will lead to safer care for patients and families. Learning about both patient safety and system vulnerabilities needs to begin in pre-licensure programs and become an integral part of learning in all phases of nursing education and practice. In this article the author will begin by reviewing the essential elements of a culture of safety and considering what students need to know about a culture of safety. She will describe activities that promote safety, high reliability organizations, and external drivers of safety, and conclude by offering strategies for integrating a culture of safety into the curriculum.