Changing minds, saving lives: how training in psychological safety transforms healthcare.
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT
Psychological safety is essential for teamwork in healthcare, as it enables open communication, freedom of expression, and learning from mistakes. However, hierarchical structures, cultural norms, and logistical constraints often hinder its implementation, particularly in large and geographically dispersed healthcare systems. While previous studies highlight the importance of psychological safety, effective and large-scale training models remain underexplored.
WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS
This study presents a structured and scalable training model, combining video simulation e-learning and full-scale simulation, to enhance psychological safety across a large care network. Over an 18-month period, the intervention resulted in increased speaking up behaviors, improved teamwork, increased incident reporting, and improved annual safety audits, demonstrating that it is possible to develop psychological safety on a large scale in a systematic manner.
POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THIS STUDY ON RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICIES
This study provides evidence that structured training can shift the organizational culture towards one that prioritizes psychological safety, thereby improving the quality of patient care. The results suggest that healthcare systems worldwide should integrate psychological safety training as a core element of their patient safety strategies, with strong leadership commitment as a critical lever for success.
Source : https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/bmjqir/14/2/e003186.full.pdf
