The impact of safety organizing, trusted leadership, and care pathways on reported medication errors in hospital nursing units.
Case studies of high-reliability organizations reinforce the importance of maintaining an organizational commitment and a culture of safety. This study discovered that extensive use of care pathways increased the positive effects of safety organizing. Investigators surveyed nurses and nurse managers and linked their responses to reported medication errors on a given unit. While limitations exist with error reporting data, the authors conclude that organizations should avoid focusing on technical and organizational factors in isolation, as benefit occurs from coupling strategies.