Abstract
Many hospitals are implementing executive walk rounds (EWRs), a widely used but unstudied activity to improve patient safety [1,2]. EWRs vary from hospital to hospital, but in general they consist of visits by hospital executives to patient care areas to discuss patient safety issues with providers. EWRs enlist leadership to break down the significant barriers to discuss human error in healthcare. The executive may ask providers to discuss specific events or general processes that could put patients at risk for harm, they ask for suggestions to improve safety, and verbalize their commitment to improving safety. Discussions are documented and lead to action which is followed by feedback to participants. EWRs help hospitals identify opportunities to improve care processes by utilizing the wisdom of frontline providers, they demonstrate the executives' and the organization's commitment to patient safety, and they may improve provider attitudes about safety-related issues. These attitudes are an important part of what is often called a hospital's safety culture [3].
Highlights
Following publication of this article [1], the study was included in the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) Register and assigned the number ISRCTN85147255
Published: 10 June 2005 BMC Health Services Research 2005, 5:46 doi:10.1186/1472-6963-5-46
Summary
Following publication of this article [1], the study was included in the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) Register and assigned the number ISRCTN85147255.
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