Current opinion in otolaryngology & head and neck surgery
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Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Aug 2015
ReviewNear-misses are an opportunity to improve patient safety: adapting strategies of high reliability organizations to healthcare.
Near-miss investigations in high reliability organizations (HROs) aim to mitigate risk and improve system safety. Healthcare settings have a higher rate of near-misses and subsequent adverse events than most high-risk industries, but near-misses are not systematically reported or analyzed. In this review, we will describe the strategies for near-miss analysis that have facilitated a culture of safety and continuous quality improvement in HROs. ⋯ Health care organizations should consider near-misses as opportunities for quality improvement. The systematic reporting and analysis of near-misses, commonplace in HROs, can be adapted to health care settings to prevent adverse events and improve clinical outcomes.