What counts as a voiceable concern in decisions about speaking out in hospitals: a qualitative study.
A key aspect of patient safety culture is the perception that all team members should speak up about safety concerns. In this study of 165 frontline and senior leader participants, deciding to report a safety event (referred to as a “voiceable concern”) is influenced by four factors: certainty that something is wrong and is an occasion for voice; system versus conduct concerns; forgivability, and normalization. Organizational culture and context effect whether an incident is considered a voiceable concern.