Leading Organizations for Quality Improvement Initiatives
THE FOUNDATIONS OF QUALITY
Research for Evidence Based Practice
BASICS OF RESEARCH METHODS
Leading Organizations for Quality Improvement Initiatives
THE FOUNDATIONS OF QUALITY
INTRODUCTION
An organization's success depends on the foundation on which it is built and the strength of the systems, processes, tools, and methods it uses to sustain benchmark levels of performance and to improve performance when expectations are not being met.
- Nash et al., 2019, p. 33
Just like any other organization, healthcare requires the use of quality improvement measures and practices. The focus on quality improvement allows for improved patient safety and reduction or elimination of errors. Research, experience, and theory provide the framework for this foundation, and you will explore these foundational components in the first module.
In this module, you will explore quality and safety measures in the healthcare. You will also explore theories and philosophies of quality improvement. For this module, consider how these measures, theories, and philosophies might impact the field of nursing and your personal experience.
Reference:
· Nash, D. B., Joshi, M. S., Ransom, E. R., & Ransom, S. B. (Eds.). (2019). The healthcare quality book: Vision, strategy, and tools (4th ed.). Health Administration Press.
WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS MODULE?
This course is composed of five separate modules covering 11 weeks of content. Each module consists of an overarching topic, and each week within the module includes specific subtopics for learning. As you work through each module, you will have an opportunity to draw upon the knowledge you gain in the assessments and components of learning throughout each of the modules.
Module 1: The Foundations of Quality is a 2-week module—Weeks 1 and 2 of the course—in which you will explore quality and safety practices in healthcare. In your Discussions for Week 1, you will explore and analyze your experience with quality and safety measures. In Week 2, you will conduct further research to explore quality improvement theories and philosophies.
You are a DNP-prepared nurse working in the ICU of your local hospital. A patient is struggling with balance, and you indicate this patient is a “fall risk” in your charts. However, after a long night, caring for many patients, you forget to indicate this risk on the patient’s door, which is procedure at the hospital. You complete your shift and go home for the night.
The scenario presented highlights how easy it is for an error to occur in healthcare. Humans are prone to error, and DNP-prepared nurses are no exception; however, certain policies and procedures can be enacted to improve patient safety and minimize errors. Almost all occupational fields rely on safety and quality practices to ensure employees, customers, etc., are in a safe environment. These quality and safety practices help organizations to limit errors and improve performance; the field of nursing is no different. It is important for the nurse leader to recognize that quality and safety measures help to improve patient safety by installing processes and workflows into nursing practice that may result in fewer errors. This week, you will examine foundations of quality improvement in healthcare, as well as explore patient safety. You will also review your experience with these practices and consider your role as a future DNP-prepared nurse.
Discussion #1
QUALITY AND SAFETY IN HEALTHCARE AND NURSING PRACTICE
How will you, as a future DNP-prepared nurse, keep patients safe? This is a multi-layered question with many different answers. Yet, it is important to note that as the nurse leader, quality and safety measures are at the forefront of how you deliver nursing practice.
Quality and safety measures are integral components in healthcare. According to Nash et al. (2019), “Around the end of the twentieth century and the start of the twenty-first, a number of reports presented strong evidence of widespread quality deficiencies and highlighted a need for substantial change to ensure high-quality care for all patients” (p. 5). Understanding the prominence of error, it is important to consider your role as a DNP-prepared nurse.
For this Discussion, take a moment to consider your experience with quality and safety in your nursing practice. Reflect on your experience and consider how your role may support quality and safety measures.
Reference:
· Nash, D. B., Joshi, M. S., Ransom, E. R., & Ransom, S. B. (Eds.). (2019). The healthcare quality book: Vision, strategy, and tools (4th ed.). Health Administration Press.
TO PREPARE:
· Review the Learning Resources for this week.
· Reflect on your experience with nursing practice, specifically as it relates to the function of quality and safety. For example, consider whether your current organization supports quality and safety. How might your role help to support these measures in your organization or nursing practice?
· Post a brief description of any previous experience with quality and safety. Then, explain how your role as the DNP-prepared nurse represents a function of quality and safety for nursing practice and healthcare delivery. Be specific and provide examples.
Discussion #2
JUST CULTURE
As an alternative to a punitive system, application of the Just Culture model, which has been widely used in the aviation industry, seeks to create an environment that encourages individuals to report mistakes so that the precursors to errors can be better understood in order to fix the system issues.
- American Nurses Association, 2010
Mistakes happen. There is no way to avoid all mistakes, so how might your practice change if the reporting of mistakes was welcomed, versus penalized? How might this lead to a better understanding of quality improvement and safety needs? How might patient safety be improved?
For this Discussion, consider the role of just culture in your organization. Reflect on your experience with just culture and consider how this model might support patient care.
Reference:
· American Nurses Association. (2010). Just culture [Position statement]. https://www.nursingworld.org/~4afe07/globalassets/practiceandpolicy/health-and-safety/just_culture.pdf
TO PREPARE:
· Review the Learning Resources for this week, and reflect on your experiences with just culture.
· Consider how just culture connects to quality and safety. What is the role of the DNP-prepared nurse in promoting just culture in organizations and nursing practice?
Post an explanation of whether your organization uses a just culture. Then, explain how this might impact quality and safety for your healthcare organization, and why. What is the DNP-prepared nurse’s role in supporting a just culture environment in a healthcare organization? Be specific and provide examples.
LEARNING RESOURCES
Required Readings
· Nash, D. B., Joshi, M. S., Ransom, E. R., & Ransom, S. B. (Eds.). (2019). The healthcare quality book: Vision, strategy, and tools (4th ed.). Health Administration Press.
· Chapter 1, “Overview of Healthcare Quality” (pp. 5–47)
· Chapter 2, “History and the Quality Landscape” (pp. 49–74)
· Institute of Medicine (U.S.) Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st centuryLinks to an external site. . National Academies Press.
· Read the Executive Summary only.
· Kohn, L. T., Corrigan, J. M., & Donaldson, M. S. (Eds). (2000). To err is human: Building a safer health systemLinks to an external site. . National Academies Press.
· Barkell, N. P., & Snyder, S. S. (2021). Just culture in healthcare: An integrative review Links to an external site. . Nursing Forum, 56(1), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12525
· Institute for Healthcare Improvement Links to an external site. . (2021). https://www.ihi.org
· PSNet. (2019). Culture of safetyLinks to an external site. . Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/culture-safety
· Ricciardi, R. (2018). The next frontier for nurses Links to an external site. . Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 33(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000304
· Walden University, LLC. (2021). DNP Project Faculty advisor and site identification—matching request form Links to an external site. . https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/4t2ba44T6fvw0
· Walden University Oasis: Writing Center. (n.d.). Citations: Overview Links to an external site. . https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/apa/citations
· Walden University Oasis: Writing Center. (n.d.). Common assignments: Discussion post Links to an external site. . https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/discussionpost
· Document: Organization Meeting Summary (Word document)
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J Nurs Care Qual Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 1–4 Copyright c© 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
AHRQ Commentary
This commentary on patient safety in nursing practice comes from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The Next Frontier for Nurses Improving Quality and Safety in Primary Care
Richard Ricciardi, PhD, RN, NP
THE most common career path for en- try into the nursing profession is familiar
and well-trod: go to college, get an associate degree or a bachelor of science in nursing, and then go to work in a hospital. This is a comfortable model that we’ve been using for 60 years. Many of you followed this path or something similar to it to begin your profes- sional careers. Unfortunately, this paradigm is incomplete, given the demands of today’s evolving health care system and the complex- ity of patient care.
There remains significant need for nurses providing acute care in hospital settings. But the traditional model overlooks the grow- ing importance of having nurses at the front lines of care delivery in primary care set- tings. Nurses’ role in advancing quality and protecting the safety of patients in primary
Author Affiliation: Division of Practice Improvement, Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, Maryland
The author declares no conflict of interest.
Correspondence: Richard Ricciardi, PhD, RN, NP, Di- vision of Practice Improvement, Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement, Agency for Healthcare Re- search and Quality, Rockville, MD 20857 (Richard [email protected]).
DOI: 10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000304
care settings is too important to consign to an afterthought.
The association between nurse staffing levels in hospitals and the quality of acute care is widely accepted.1 There is, admittedly, less quantitative evidence about the direct connection between nurses and ambulatory quality and safety. But this is an area of great interest for us at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). As the nation’s lead federal agency for patient safety, AHRQ is highly motivated to improve safety and quality in health care wherever that care is provided. Increasingly, that place is the ambulatory setting.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) play a central role in ensuring the safety and quality of ambula- tory care. The role of the NP is well estab- lished and defined. Today, there are more than 234 000 NPs licensed in the United States, with approximately 23 000 newly minted graduates emerging every year ready to join their ranks.2 NPs can examine patients, diag- nose illnesses, prescribe medication, and pro- vide treatments. In short, NPs are equipped to provide a broad range of primary care ser- vices and lead practice improvement efforts focused on quality and safety.
In contrast to NPs, the role of registered nurses (RNs) in primary care settings is less defined. However, as primary care moves to team-based practice models to meet the needs
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of Accountable Care Organizations and the Quality Payment Program, RNs are well po- sitioned to take on leading roles and new responsibilities.3 Evolving RN primary care roles, especially in high-needs patients, in- clude those of care coordinator, health coach, or health educator; furthermore, RNs can take a leadership role in the development of an in- tegrated, dynamic, person-centric care plan and make home visits.4
There are barriers, however. NPs’ scope of practice is limited in 27 states, and reimburse- ment of RNs for new models of team-based primary care is lacking. Overall, three-fifths of nurses work in hospitals, whereas only 10% of nurses work in primary or home care settings.5 The disconnect between the capa- bilities of nurses and the opportunities avail- able to them is striking.
Everything about the way health care is de- livered to patients is changing. Many of these changes have been driven by federal legisla- tion, and future developments may have an additional or even greater impact. No matter what happens, we can and should prepare for a future in which we work to help make pri- mary care practice safer and more efficient. This requires a thoughtful analysis of what tools we have (and what we lack) and what is the best and most effective use of limited re- sources to accomplish optimal outcomes for patients.
WHY NURSES?
The reality is that there is a significant gap between our nation’s demand for primary care and the number of primary care physi- cians available to meet that demand. Approxi- mately 8000 primary care physicians enter the workforce each year, but the number of pri- mary care physicians who retire each year is projected to reach 8500 by 2020.6 We already have a shortage of primary care providers, and the rate of retirement is about to outpace that of new entrants.
In a society in which our population is both growing and aging (and thus demand is increasing), this is unsustainable. A gap is
inevitable, which should translate into an op- portunity for NPs, physician assistants (PAs), and RNs. Market demands alone indicate that more patients will need to have their primary care largely overseen by an NP or a PA using a team-based approach.
Let us pause here to declare unambiguously that NPs and PAs are not replacements for physicians. This is an important distinction that needs to be stated clearly. Rather than competing with physicians, NPs, PAs, and RNs must collaborate with them as part of a com- plex, adaptive health care system in which the collective capability of the team is greater than that of a single individual.
Seminal reports by the National Academy of Medicine, the National Governors Associa- tion, and the Federal Trade Commission sup- port the importance of the role of nurses as we move to change the paradigm of health care delivery to team-based models, in which all professionals play a distinct and vital role.7-9
By capitalizing on the full potential of all health care professionals, we can optimize the goal of delivering the right care to the right pa- tient, at the right time, in the right place, by the right provider, for the right price.
AHRQ’s ROLE: WORKING IN TEAMS, ENGAGING PATIENTS
When RNs, including but not limited to NPs, work well with physicians and other health care professionals in the primary care setting, patients benefit. But we know that working in teams does not always come eas- ily. This is why AHRQ, along with the De- partment of Defense, developed TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies & Tools to Enhance Per- formance and Patient Safety), an evidence- based curriculum to improve communica- tion and teamwork skills among health care professionals.10 Regular readers of this journal are likely familiar with TeamSTEPPS, which provides higher-quality, safer patient care by producing highly effective health care teams that optimize the use of information, people, and resources to achieve the best clinical out- comes for patients.11
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Improving Quality and Safety in Primary Care 3
A version of this curriculum, TeamSTEPPS for Office-Based Care,12 specifically addresses issues and problems unique to the ambula- tory care setting. Importantly, TeamSTEPPS courses can be taken online and for continu- ing education credits through a learning man- agement system that provides opportunities for nurses and other primary care team mem- bers to work at their own pace to obtain a TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer certificate.13
In addition to facilitating teamwork, AHRQ has several resources that promote patient and family engagement. Many of these are specific to or tailored for the office setting.14
This is important because research shows that when patients are engaged with their health care, it can lead to measurable improvements in safety and quality.
One example is the “warm handoff,” a trans- fer of care from one member of a health care team to another. Oftentimes, a nurse is in- volved. What makes it “warm” is the pres- ence of the patient and his or her family, who are there to participate in the handoff. This transparency allows patients and families to hear what is said and check for accuracy, giv- ing them the opportunity to clarify or correct information or ask questions. AHRQ’s Warm Handoff Implementation materials15 can help nurses and other primary care providers en- gage with patients in a way that will protect safety and enhance quality.
AHRQ is making available other research and tools that help make care safer in the ambulatory setting. These can be found at www.ahrq.gov/topics/ambulatory-care.html.
CONCLUSION: BACK TO THE FUTURE?
We know that primary care resources are in high demand. We also know that nurses are
uniquely positioned to meet the initial needs of large numbers of patients. However, we must confront several significant challenges that keep RNs from assuming a more active leadership role in primary care. These chal- lenges include the following: (1) most preli- censure nursing programs do not have a focus on primary care; (2) evidence is nascent on the return on investment and the full quan- tifiable value of using RNs in primary care; and (3) RNs are often viewed, shortsightedly, as a revenue drain rather than as an important contributor to primary care in a fee-for-service reimbursement environment.16
May I suggest we consider a “back to the fu- ture” approach? Decades ago, nurses in many areas were the chief providers of primary care. This was especially true in rural or inner-city areas, places that today we would call med- ically underserved communities. This prac- tice waned, especially after World War II, as medicine and hospitals evolved. There is no reason why the status quo cannot evolve once again.
Change will not be easy. It will require that we be mindful of the impact on our colleagues in the health professions, includ- ing physicians; that we make the business case for it; and that we undertake every as- pect of change with the patient at the cen- ter of the process. This final point—the im- portance of being patient-centric—is where AHRQ’s resources are so important. Primary care providers must protect the safety of pa- tients and deliver the highest-quality care pos- sible. RNs can enhance quality and safety and are well positioned to use AHRQ tools to do so. If we get this right, everyone—physicians, nurses, PAs, all members of the primary care team, and, most importantly, patients—will win.
REFERENCES
1. Needleman J, Buerhaus P, Mattke S, et al. Nurse- staffing levels and the quality of care in hospitals. N Engl J Med. 2002;346(22):1715-1722.
2. American Association of Nurse Practitioners. AANP National Nurse Practitioner Database. Austin,
TX: American Association of Nurse Practitioners; 2017.
3. Pittman P, Forrest E. The changing roles of registered nurses in Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations. Nurs Outlook. 2015;63(5):554-565.
Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
4 JOURNAL OF NURSING CARE QUALITY/JANUARY–MARCH 2018
4. Long P, Abrams M, Milstein A, et al., eds. Effective Care for High-Need Patients: Opportunities for Im- proving Outcomes, Value, and Health. Washington, DC: National Academy of Medicine; 2017.
5. Smolowitz J, Speakman E, Wojnar D, et al. Role of the registered nurse in primary health care: meeting health care needs in the 21st century. Nurs Outlook. 2015;63(2015):130-136.
6. Petterson SM, Liaw WR, Tran C, et al. Estimating the residency expansion required to avoid projected pri- mary care physician shortages by 2035. Ann Fam Med. 2015;13(2):107-114.
7. Institute of Medicine. The Future of Nursing: Lead- ing Change, Advancing Health. Washington, DC: Na- tional Academies Press; 2010.
8. National Governors Association. The role of nurse practitioners in meeting increasing demand for primary care. https://www.nga.org/cms/home/nga- center-for-best-practices/center-publications/page- health-publications/col2-content/main-content-list/ the-role-of-nurse-practitioners.html. Accessed August 7, 2017.
9. Federal Trade Commission. Policy perspectives: competition and the regulation of advanced pract- ice nurses. https://www.ftc.gov/reports/policy-pers pectives-competition-regulation-advanced-practice- nurses. Published March 2014. Accessed August 7, 2017.
10. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Team- STEPPS National Implementation. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://
teamstepps.ahrq.gov. Accessed July 11, 2017. 11. Brady J, Battles JB, Ricciardi R. Teamwork: what
health care has learned from the military. J Nurs Care Qual. 2015;30(1):3-6.
12. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Team- STEPPS for Office-Based Care Version. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. https://www.ahrq.gov/teamstepps/officebasedcare/ index.html. Accessed July 11, 2017.
13. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Wel- come to the TeamSTEPPS R© LMS. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. https://tslms.org/login/index.php. Accessed July 12, 2017.
14. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Pa- tient and Family Engagement in Primary Care. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality -patient-safety/patient-family-engagement/pfeprimary care/interventions/index.html. Accessed July 12, 2017.
15. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Warm Handoff: Intervention. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. https://www.ahrq. gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/patient-family -engagement/pfeprimarycare/interventions/warm handoff.html. Accessed July 12, 2017.
16. Bodenheimer T, Bauer L, Syer S, et al. RN Role Reimagined: How Empowering Registered Nurses Can Improve Primary Care. Oakland, CA: California HealthCare Foundation; 2015.
Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
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Nurs Forum. 2021;56:103–111. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/nuf © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC | 103
Received: 10 September 2020 | Revised: 28 October 2020 | Accepted: 6 November 2020
DOI: 10.1111/nuf.12525
R EV I EW AR T I C L E
Just culture in healthcare: An integrative review
Nina P. Barkell MSN, RN, ACNS‐BC | Susan Stockton Snyder MSN, RNC‐MNN
Nursing Department, Oakland Community
College, Waterford, Michigan, USA
Correspondence
Susan Stockton Snyder, MSN, RNC‐MNN,
Nursing Department, Oakland Community
College, 7350 Cooley Lake Rd, Waterford, MI
48327‐4187, USA. Email: [email protected]
Abstract
Background: In spite of two decades of the patient safety movement in the United
States, healthcare safety remains a significant problem. The paucity of empirical
literature related to Just Culture in healthcare indicates a need for this concept to
be examined and operationalized.
Purpose: The purpose was to appraise the literature regarding the use and appli-
cation of Just Culture in healthcare.
Methods: Using Whittemore and Knafl's framework for integrative reviews, a
review of the literature was conducted using Cumulative Index to Nursing and
Allied Health Literature, PubMed, PsychInfo, and Cochrane Review to identify
peer‐reviewed literature published between 2010 and 2020. The following search
terms were used: “Just Culture” AND “healthcare system” OR “health care” OR
“healthcare.”
Results: After screening for inclusion and exclusion criteria, a set of 10 articles
were included in the review. Four main themes were identified: Error Management,
Balance, Leadership and Staff, and Systems Leadership for Change.
Conclusion: There is a paucity of empirical research and quality improvement
projects focusing on Just Culture. The themes identified in this integrative review
provide the direction and focus for additional research and quality improvement
efforts that will promote the adoption of Just Culture and improvement in patient
safety.
K E YWORD S
healthcare safety, integrative review, JCAT, Just Culture, patient safety
The Institute of Medicine's (IOM) landmark report1 that up to 98,000
people die every year as a result of medical errors created the im-
petus for a radical change in healthcare. More recent reports have
estimated that patient death due to healthcare errors are as much
as four times higher than reported by the IOM.2,3 In addition to
emphasizing the need for improved patient safety culture (PSC),
the IOM report1 also recommended a shift toward a nonpunitive,
“blame‐free” culture, which recognizes the role of systems as a cause
of errors as opposed to blaming individuals.
Subsequently, the concept of Just Culture, a subculture of PSC,
emerged. Just Culture balances system and individual accountability
and is a culture in which individuals feel that they will receive fair
treatment when they report adverse events.4,5 Leape6 made a com-
pelling argument for this culture shift when he stated in testimony
to the United States Congress that the “single greatest impediment
to error prevention in the medical industry is that we punish people
for making mistakes.”
The concept of Just Culture needs to be explored and
operationalized to improve safety within the healthcare system. The
aim of this integrative review is to appraise empirical, quality
improvement (QI), and theoretical literature regarding the use and
application of Just Culture in healthcare.
1 | METHODS
Whittemore and Knafl's updated methodology7 was used as the
framework for this integrative review. This approach begins with a
clear identification of the purpose of the review and is followed by
a selection of variables of interest and the sampling frame. Data are
then evaluated, analyzed, and extracted. The final stage of data
analysis is conclusion drawing and verification.7
1.1 | Search strategy
In May and June 2020, a comprehensive search of the Cumulative Index
to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, PsycINFO, and the
Cochrane Library was performed to identify empirical, QI, and theore-
tical literature on Just Culture in healthcare. The following search terms
were used: “Just Culture” AND “healthcare system”OR “health care”OR
“healthcare.” This search included peer‐reviewed records written in
English, published between 2000 and 2020, and focused on Just Culture.
Additional inclusion criteria were a focus on nursing and implications
for systems leadership. Quantitative and qualitative research and
evidence‐based practice projects were included. Dissertations were inclu-
ded only if the research was not published in another format elsewhere.
We excluded books and conference proceedings, research on healthcare
education, and sources that focused on PSC. The inclusion and exclusion
of all sources were based upon mutual agreement between the authors.
1.2 | Findings
Initial application of the search terms for literature in the four data-
bases published between 2000 and 2020 resulted in the retrieval of
166 articles. After the removal of 31 duplicates, 135 unique articles were
retained. We reviewed titles and abstracts, applying inclusion and ex-
clusion criteria to yield 69 articles. Due to the unexpected volume of
material retrieved, we made the decision to limit the review to articles
published between 2010 and 2020. We rescreened the abstracts of
22 records that were published between 2000 and 2009 to determine
whether they could be eliminated without detracting from the quality of
the review. If uncertain, we scanned the full‐text source to ensure that
eliminating the article would not bias the results of the integrative review.
After reading the abstracts for the remaining 47 records, 32
additional articles that did not meet inclusion criteria were elimi-
nated, resulting in a total of 15 records for full‐text review. Figure 1
outlines the search using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic
Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines.8
1.3 | Data evaluation
The 15 full‐text records were categorized as empirical studies,
reports of QI projects, or theoretical documents. Each of the 15
full‐text sources was read in their entirety by both authors.
Following the full‐text review, the dissertation9 and one of the
empirical reports10 were eliminated from data evaluation because
they did not meet inclusion criteria. Of the four remaining empirical
reports, there was no evidence higher than Level VI, using Melnyk's
hierarchy of levels of evidence.11 The remaining four primary research
reports included one cross‐sectional descriptive design,12 a qualitative
study by Freeman et al.,13 David's14 pretest posttest descriptive study,
and Petschonek et al.'s15 instrument development of the Just Culture
Assessment Tool (JCAT). All represented Level VI evidence.
The Revised Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting
Excellence (SQUIRE 2.0)16 were used to evaluate the quality of the
four QI articles. Overall, there was poor adherence to the SQUIRE
2.0 Standards.16 After quality evaluation, two QI reports17,18 were
retained for data analysis.
We evaluated the quality of the theoretical articles by examining
their primary sources and the extent to which they described the
concept. Upon full‐text review, one of these articles19 was excluded
because it was determined to be a commentary. The remaining four
theoretical articles20–23 were retained for a total of 10 records for
data analysis. This is shown in Figure 1.
1.4 | Data analysis
Data were extracted using three similar tables based upon the sub-
groups previously described (see Tables 1–3). This allowed for se-
quential data analysis that more readily identified similarities and
differences from the diverse sources.
The empirical research reports were organized for review in
Table 1. Noting the need to establish a Just Culture in healthcare,
Petschonek et al.15 developed and validated the JCAT. Two
studies12,14 reported measuring Just Culture with the JCAT. Paradiso
and Sweeney12 noted a statistically significant difference in the
perception of Just Culture of nurse leaders compared to clinical
nurses in an organization. Similarly, David14 also noted a gap in
perception of Just Culture between staff nurses and hospital ad-
ministrators before and after Just Culture training. Further, David14
reported improved JCAT scores in organizations that had a more
group‐oriented organizational culture. The fourth empirical study13
was a qualitative analysis of perceptions of nurse managers, who
identified their need for new knowledge, skills, and attitudes to fa-
cilitate the implementation of Just Culture on their units.
Table 2 displays the data for the two QI articles17,18 about the
Missouri Just Culture Collaborative (MJCC). The MJCC utilized Just
Culture training for participants in leadership roles at 67 Missouri
healthcare organizations. This collaborative offered four levels of
engagement. Both reports described the use of the Hospital Survey
of Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS)5 to measure improvement and
stated that the scores of more fully engaged participants in leader-
ship roles more closely approximated the national benchmark scores
for frontline nursing staff.17,18 These authors17,18 inferred that the
Just Culture training had therefore narrowed the perception gap
between administrators and nursing staff.
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The theoretical data are shown in Table 3. Data extracted from these
records were organized according to article purpose, concepts identified,
and implications. Three authors20–23 reviewed the components of Just
Culture and advocated for its adoption in healthcare to achieve improved
safety.21,22 On the other hand, Reis‐Dennis23 posited that Just Culture
creates a moral imbalance and that practitioners who do not follow rules
should be punished. Further, Reis‐Dennis23 advocated for a balance be-
tween prospective and retrospective approaches to accountability.
Following data extraction and display, data comparison was
performed to identify patterns, themes, and relationships. This was
done using an independent, iterative approach by both authors,
which was followed by discussion and consensus. This process re-
sulted in a color‐coded matrix of themes and subthemes. We iden-
tified four recurrent themes.
2 | RESULTS
2.1 | Error management
The first, overarching theme is Error Management. All but one of the
articles13 focused on the response to errors and advocated for robust
reporting of errors and near misses to promote learning and to drive
the development of safer systems. Nonpunitive response to errors,
communication surrounding errors, and learning from errors and near
misses were expressed as imperatives in many of the articles.12,18,20–23
Quality of the event reporting process was considered theoretically
essential to the understanding of Just Culture during the development
of the JCAT.15 Feedback and communication about events and
openness of communication are two additional dimensions of the
JCAT15 that relate to error management. Of note, the MJCC17
evaluated outcomes of the collaborative using components of the
HSOPS5 that included “nonpunitive response to error,” “frequency of
events reported,” and “feedback and communication about error.”
Marx,22 who originally developed the Just Culture model, linked the
management of errors with the intention of the individual. Further,
Marx22 advocated for accepting human error, coaching risky behavior,
and sanctioning those who recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally cause
harm. In contrast, Reis‐Dennis23 proposed that Just Culture creates a
moral imbalance by rewarding those who do not follow the rules.
2.2 | Balance
Balance was the second theme identified. Two subthemes, “balance
between fairness and blame” and “balance between system and
F IGURE 1 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses7 flow diagram
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iley.com /term
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reative C om
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icense
T A B L E
1 E m p ir ic al
lit er at u re
A u th o r
St u d y p u rp o se
Su b je ct s/ se tt in g
R es ea
rc h m et h o d /
va ri ab
le s/ m ea
su re s
R es u lt s
C lin
ic al
im p lic
at io n s
D av
id 1 4
T o ex
am in e:
n = 1 7 2
P re te st
p o st te st
d es cr ip ti ve
st u d y
R ep
o rt ed
P P R h ig h es t in
R N s;
lo w es t in
h o sp it al
ad m in is tr at o rs
U n d er ly in g h o sp it al
cu lt u re
p la ys
im p o rt an
t ro le
in w h et h er
Ju st
C u lt u re
tr ai n in g w ill
d em
o n st ra te
a b en
ef it
A ss o ci at io n b et w ee
n th e h o sp it al
o rg an
iz at io n al
cu lt u re
it s ab
ili ty
to
b en
ef it fr o m
a Ju st
C u lt u re
tr ai n in g p ro gr am
C ar e p ro vi d er s, an
ci lla
ry st af f,
an d ad
m in is tr at o rs
at tw
o
co m m u n it y fo r‐ p ro fi t
h o sp it al s
Ju st
C u lt u re ,
o rg an
iz at io n al
cu lt u re
P P R d ec re as ed
af te r Ju st
C u lt u re
tr ai n in g
in h o sp it al s w it h h ie ra rc h ic al /g ro u p ‐
o ri en
te d cu
lt u re
N ee
d to
ad d re ss
o rg an
iz at io n al
cu lt u re
b ef o re
in tr o d u ci n g Ju st
C u lt u re
tr ai n in g
E ff ec t o f fo rm
al Ju st
C u lt u re
tr ai n in g
o n th e p er ce p ti o n o f sa fe ty
cu lt u re ; th e as so ci at io n b et w ee
n
jo b cl as si fi ca ti o n an
d p er ce p ti o n o f
sa fe ty
cu lt u re
In st ru m en
ts : Ju st
C u lt u re
A ss es sm
en t T o o l
P P R si gn
if ic an
tl y im
p ro ve
d af te r Ju st
C u lt u re
tr ai n in g in
al l jo b
cl as si fi ca ti o n s in
h ie ra rc h ic al /g ro u p ‐
o ri en
te d cu
lt u re
F u tu re
re se ar ch
n ee
d s to
ad d re ss
p at ie n t o u tc o m es
an d th e p at ie n t
ex p er ie n ce
C o m p et in g va
lu es
fr am
ew o rk
to
m ea
su re
o rg an
iz at io n al
cu lt u re
In te rv en
ti o n : 6 0 ‐m
in Ju st
C u lt u re
ed u ca ti o n al
se ss io n
N o ch
an ge
in th e co
m p o si te
P P R in
h o sp it al s w it h h ie ra rc h ic al
cu lt u re s
F re em
an et
al .1 3
T o ex
p lo re
p er ce p ti o n s o f n u rs e
m an
ag er s in
d ev
el o p in g p er so n al
co m p et en
ci es
to en
ab le
th em
to
ef fe ct iv el y im
p le m en
t a Ju st
C u lt u re
in th ei r u n it s
n = 9
Q u al it at iv e
F o u r th em
es w er e id en
ti fi ed
: N ee
d fo r
ed u ca ti o n fo r m an
ag er s an
d
em p lo ye
es ,n
ee d fo r a va
ri et y o f n ew
sk ill s fo r n u rs e m an
ag er s, n ee
d to
ch an
ge at ti tu d es
fr o m
p u n it iv e cu
lt u re
an d fa u lt o f th e in d iv id u al ,c
h al le n ge
s
in im
p le m en
ta ti o n
Su p p o rt s w o rk
o f P ar ad
is o &
Sw ee
n ey
1 1
U n it m an
ag er s w h o w er e n u rs es
w it h a m in im
u m
o f a
b ac ca la u re at e in
n u rs in g
d eg
re e
U se d se m i‐s
tr u ct u re d
in te rv ie w s to
id en
ti fy
th em
es
M an
ag er s re co
gn iz ed
th e n ee
d fo r
ed u ca ti o n o f st af f an
d m an
ag er s
M an
ag er s al so
n ee
d to
ac q u ir e a
n ew
sk ill
N o n p ro b ab
ili ty
co n ve
n ie n ce
sa m p lin
g
Im p le m en
ti n g ju st
cu lt u re
is
co m p le x,
ca n 't ju st
sa y “w
e' re
d o in g it ”
T h e co
m m it m en
t o f m an
ag er s an
d
le ad
er s at
al l le ve
ls o f th e
o rg an
iz at io n
T im
e an
d re so u rc e co
m m it m en
t
n ee
d ed
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iley.com /term
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icense
T A B L E
1 (C o n ti n u ed
)
A u th o r
St u d y p u rp o se
Su b je ct s/ se tt in g
R es ea
rc h m et h o d /
va ri ab
le s/ m ea
su re s
R es u lt s
C lin
ic al
im p lic
at io n s
P ar ad
is o an
d
Sw ee
n ey
1 2
T o ex
am in e if th er e w as
a re la ti o n sh ip
b et w ee
n tr u st ,J u st
C u lt u re ,a
n d
er ro r re p o rt in g in
n u rs e le ad
er s
an d cl in ic al
n u rs es
n = 1 8 5
Q u an
ti ta ti ve
,
co rr el at io n al
F in d in gs : St at is ti ca lly
si gn
if ic an
t
d if fe re n ce s b et w ee
n n u rs e le ad
er s an
d
cl in ic al
le ad
er s
H SO
P S d im
en si o n s w er e co
n si st en
t
w it h JC
A T
C o n ve
n ie n ce
sa m p le
o f n u rs es
an d n u rs e le ad
er s in
in d ep
en d en
t te ac h in g
h o sp it al s in
B ro o kl yn
,N Y
C ro ss ‐s ec ti o n al
d es cr ip ti ve
d es ig n
V ar ia b le s:
Ju st
C u lt u re ,
tr u st
M o d er at el y p o si ti ve
co rr el at io n b et w ee
n
tr u st
an d Ju st
C u lt u re
R et ra in in g o f n u rs es
d o es
n o t
p ro m o te
Ju st
C u lt u re ; sh o u ld
o n ly
b e u se d w h en
th er e is
cl ea
r
ev id en
ce o f la ck
o f kn
o w le d ge
In st ru m en
ts : Su
rv ey
o f
H o sp it al
Le ad
er s
P o si ti ve
co rr el at io n b et w ee
n tr u st
an d
vo lu n ta ry
re p o rt in g o f er ro rs
Ju st
C u lt u re
A ss es sm
en t T o o l
Le ad
er s n ee
d to
re sp ec t th e id ea
s o f
cl in ic al
n u rs es ,i m p ro ve
th e
sy st em
an d co
m m u n ic at e sa m e,
va lid
at es
an d en
co u ra ge
s er ro r
re p o rt in g
P et sc h o n ek
et al .1 5
T o d ev
el o p a m ea
su re
o f in d iv id u al
p er ce p ti o n s o f Ju st
C u lt u re
fo r th e
h o sp it al
se tt in g
n = 4 0 4
In st ru m en
t d ev
el o p m en
t: D ev
el o p ed
a 6 ‐s u b sc al e m ea
su re
o f Ju st
C u lt u re
V al id
an d re lia
b le
to o lf o r m ea
su ri n g
Ju st
C u lt u re
C o n ve
n ie n ce
sa m p le
o f
m u lt id is ci p lin
ar y h ea
lt h ca re
st af f
C o n te n t va
lid it y in d ex
st at is ti cs
n o t re p o rt ed
C ro n b ac h 's al p h a fo r 5 o f 6 su b sc al es
w as
> 0 .7 0
Q u al it y o f th e ev
en t re p o rt in g p ro ce ss
w as
> 0 .6 3
Se tt in g—
p ed
ia tr ic
re se ar ch
h o sp it al
C ro n b ac h 's al p h a
d em
o n st ra te d
ad eq
u at e st ru ct u re
an d re lia
b ili ty
O th er
d im
en si o n s:
tr u st ,b
al an
ce ,o
p en
‐ n es s o f co
m m u n ic at io n , fe ed
b ac k an
d
co m m u n ic at io n ab
o u t ev
en ts ,t h e
o ve
ra ll go
al o f co
n ti n u o u s q u al it y
im p ro ve
m en
t
A b b re vi at io n s:
H SO
P S,
H o sp it al
Su rv ey
o f P at ie n t Sa
fe ty
C u lt u re ; JC
A T ; Ju st
C u lt u re
A ss es sm
en t T o o l; P P R ,p
er ce n ta ge
o f p ro b le m at ic
re sp o n se s;
R N ,r eg
is te re d n u rs e.
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iley.com /term
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reative C om
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icense
T A B L E
2 Q u al it y im
p ro ve
m en
t re p o rt s
A u th o r
A im
/p u rp o se
P ar ti ci p an
ts /s et ti n g
In te rv en
ti o n /m
ea su
re R es u lt s
C lin
ic al
im p lic
at io n s
Sh ab
el et
al .1 8
T o im
p ro ve
p at ie n t sa fe ty
cu lt u re
am o n g p ro vi d er s
an d re gu
la to rs
P ar ti ci p an
ts in
le ad
er sh ip
ro le s
fr o m
6 7 M is so u ri h ea
lt h ca re
o rg an
iz at io n s w it h fo u r le ve
ls
o f en
ga ge
m en
t
P ro ac ti ve
,o p en
le ar n in g
m o d el ; Ju st
C u lt u re
tr ai n in g
N o d at a n o r st at is ti ca l an
al ys is re p o rt ed
O rg an
iz at io n s w h o w er e fu lly
en ga
ge d in
tr ai n in g h ad
5 0 %
ra te s o f su st ai n ab
ili ty
an d d if fe re n t re sp o n se s to
er ro rs
th an
th o se
w h o w er e le ss
en ga
ge d
H ig h es t le ve
l o f en
ga ge
m en
t
in cl u d ed
fr o n tl in e st af f
P re ‐a
n d p o st as se ss m en
t
ev al u at in g th e
co lla
b o ra ti ve
P ar ti ci p an
ts w er e in te re st ed
in cr ea
ti n g
ju st
cu lt u re
1 4 It em
s fr o m
H SO
P S
P at ie n t sa fe ty
aw ar en
es s in cr ea
se d
am o n g p ar ti ci p an
ts
M o re
fu lly
en ga
ge d p ar ti ci p an
ts (w
h o
w er e in
le ad
er sh ip
ro le s)
m o re
cl o se ly
ap p ro xi m at ed
H SO
P S
n at io n al
b en
ch m ar ks
fo r h o sp it al
st af f
Le ad
er sh ip
tr ai n in g in
ju st
cu lt u re
ap p ea
re d
to h av
e n ar ro w ed
th e ga
p in
p er ce p ti o n s
o n th e H SO
P S b et w ee
n ad
m in is tr at o rs
an d st af f
B ar ri er s to
su st ai n ab
ili ty
w er e co
st ,l ac k o f
le ad
er sh ip ,a
n d co
m p et in g p ri o ri ti es
V o ge
ls m ei er
et al .1 7
T o ex
p lo re
h o w
le ad
er sh ip
p er sp ec ti ve
s m ig h t b e
in fl u en
ce d b y Ju st
C u lt u re
tr ai n in g
P ar ti ci p an
ts in
le ad
er sh ip
ro le s
fr o m
6 7 M is so u ri h ea
lt h ca re
o rg an
iz at io n s, w it h fo u r le ve
ls
o f en
ga ge
m en
t
P ro ac ti ve
,o p en
le ar n in g
m o d el ; Ju st
C u lt u re
tr ai n in g
M o re
fu lly
en ga
ge d p ar ti ci p an
ts (w
h o
w er e in
le ad
er sh ip
ro le s)
m o re
cl o se ly
ap p ro xi m at ed
H SO
P S
n at io n al
b en
ch m ar ks
fo r h o sp it al
st af f
Le ad
er sh ip
tr ai n in g in
ju st
cu lt u re
ap p ea
re d
to h av
e n ar ro w ed
th e ga
p in
p er ce p ti o n s
o n th e H SO
P S b et w ee
n ad
m in is tr at o rs
an d st af f
H ig h es t le ve
l o f en
ga ge
m en
t
in cl u d ed
fr o n tl in e st af f
T ra in in g w as
m o re
fu lly
d es cr ib ed
H SO
P S d at a p re se n te d w it h n o
st at is ti ca l an
al ys is
P re ‐a
n d p o st as se ss m en
t
ev al u at in g th e
co lla
b o ra ti ve
1 4 It em
s fr o m
H SO
P S p re te st
an d
p o st te st
A b b re vi at io n : H SO
P S,
H o sp it al
Su rv ey
o f P at ie n t Sa
fe ty
C u lt u re .
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icense
individual accountability,” emerged consistently from the 10 records.
Marx22 described the need for balance between individual account-
ability and a nonpunitive environment. Petschonek et al.15 (p. 192)
defined balance, a subscale of the JCAT, as “one's perceptions of fair
treatment…as it relates to errors, error reporting, and its system
approach to medical error.” David14 and Paradiso and Sweeney12
used the JCAT,15 which indicates support of the inclusion of balance
in their work. Similarly, the MJCC17,18 and Freeman et al.'s study13
adopted Marx's Just Culture Framework22 for training, evaluation,
and study. Reis‐Dennis23 emphasized that balance should occur be-
tween “no blame” and individual accountability and more strongly
advocated for punishment for breaking rules. According to Marx,22
Just Culture balances individual accountability and system design.
Adelman20 stated that by adopting Just Culture, the focus is changed
from individual punishment to correcting flawed systems, adding that
individuals need to be held accountable for errors due to reckless
behavior. Finally, the need to improve systems rather than
focusing solely on individual performance was threaded through the
work of Armstrong.21
2.3 | Leadership and staff
An important theme that emerged, particularly from the empirical
and QI records, was leadership and staff. Eight of twenty‐seven items
of the JCAT directly reference employee perceptions of leaders and
administrators.15 The two empirical studies12,14 that used the JCAT
reported statistically significant differences between clinical nursing
staff and leaders with respect to perceptions of Just Culture.12,14
Freeman et al.13 supported these findings,12,14 noting that both
managers and nursing staff need to be educated regarding Just
Culture. Furthermore, commitment from managers and leaders at all
TABLE 3 Theoretical literature
Author Article purpose Concepts identified implications
Adelman20 Describe how Just Culture and technology
contribute to high reliability
Just Culture Adoption of Just Culture changes focus from
punishment of providers to fixing systems
Vigilance Need to hold individuals accountable for
errors resulting from reckless behaviorHuman errors
Error and near miss reporting
Systems issues
Armstrong21 Explore how Just Culture expands
understanding of patient safety with
recommendations for nurses
Reporting of errors and near
misses
Need to teach Just Culture principles
Fear of punishment Need to assess Just Culture in unit
System improvement
Correction of system issues Increased error and near miss reporting
indicate that nurses are actively working
to develop safety systems Individual accountability
Learning culture
Marx22 Review of Just Culture and patient safety Individual accountability Open learning culture about errors allows
correction of bad systems
Learning from errors Just Culture provides a more rational basis for
evaluating the conduct of providers
Intention of error Errors should be managed based on the
intention of the individualHuman error
At risk behavior
Reckless, intentional, knowing
violations
Link between behavioral
choices and outcomes
Accept human error; fix the system
Management of behavior Coach risky behavior
Sanction reckless, those who knowingly cause
harm, and those who intend to cause harm
Reis‐Dennis23 Identifies problems with Just Culture Model Balance backward looking and
forward‐looking accountability
Need to punish practitioners who don't follow
the rules”
Punishment Just Culture creates a moral imbalance
Respect Need just a system of punishment
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icense
levels of the organization was needed to successfully adopt Just
Culture.13 Interestingly, Shabel and Dennis18 and Vogelsmeier
et al.17 stated that leadership training in Just Culture through the
MJCC appeared to have narrowed the gap in perceptions between
administrators and multidisciplinary staff. Unfortunately, the ad-
ministrators' scores on the HSOPS5 declined following Just Culture
training and more closely approximated the staff nurse national
benchmark.17,18
2.4 | Systems Leadership for Change
Systems Leadership for Change was the fourth theme that recurred
in the literature. Successful implementation of change begins with
good leadership24 and with a plan for sustainability.25 The findings of
this integrative review described leadership characteristics needed
to change organizational culture, challenges to implementation, and
barriers to sustainability. The importance of leadership engagement
and support was noted by Freeman et al.,13 Shabel and Dennis,18 and
David.14 Unit managers who were interviewed in Freeman et al.'s
study13 noted the complexity of Just Culture implementation. These
nurse leaders identified the need for conflict resolution skills and the
ability to engage in difficult conversations to successfully implement
Just Culture.13 David14 demonstrated that the underlying hospital
culture plays an important role in whether Just Culture training will
benefit an organization and recommended that organizational
culture be addressed before introducing Just Culture. Armstrong21
also proposed an initial assessment of Just Culture to help identify
priorities for change. Finally, Shabel and Dennis18 described a 2‐year follow up after the MJCC. The challenges to sustainability identified
in this report were competing priorities, lack of engagement, and lack
of understanding and belief in Just Culture.18
3 | DISCUSSION
A prominent finding of this integrative review was the small sample
of primary research studies. However, including QI and theoretical
literature using Whittemore and Knafl's6 integrative review frame-
work enhanced understanding of Just Culture in the context of
healthcare. The integrative review methodology6 contributes to
nursing science and informs research, practice, and policy initiatives.
This review identified four themes that were consistent across the
articles reviewed: Error Management, Balance, Leadership and Staff,
and Systems Leadership for Change. Examination of these themes
provides a stepping off point for additional research to promote the
adoption of Just Culture and improvement in patient safety.
3.1 | Limitations
There were limitations to this review. The lack of a standard defini-
tion and the use of Just Culture and PSC interchangeably14 were
barriers to screening articles by title and abstract. Limiting the search
to two keywords (Just Culture and Healthcare) and their iterations
was another potential limitation to this study. Additional variations
on the search term “Just Culture,” such as “nonpunitive response to
error,” may have provided additional relevant literature. Another
limitation was the potential for bias. The authors, both of whom are
nurses, could have introduced bias by excluding articles focused on
other health professions. The size of the nursing workforce26,27 and
the front‐line nature of the profession provided sound rationale for
this decision. The initial inclusion criterion of a 20‐year time span was
another limitation. This yielded a larger sample than was predicted.
Although the titles and abstracts were rescreened when revising the
inclusion criterion dates, it is possible that some literature may have
been excluded in error. Finally, a significant limitation was the
diversity of the sources of this review which complicated data eva-
luation, abstraction, and analysis.
3.2 | Implications
Recognizing the importance of Just Culture in promoting patient safety,
it is critical that healthcare organizations develop interventions to
improve Just Culture, increase error and near miss reporting, and im-
prove opportunities for learning. The scarcity of empirical evidence
surrounding Just Culture confounds this effort. Petschonek et al.15
recommended that the use of the JCAT be expanded to further refine
the instrument to direct resources toward improving various compo-
nents of Just Culture. This integrative review highlighted the lack of
published studies using the JCAT. The HSOPS was used to measure
dimensions of Just Culture in the MJCC.17,18 The HSOPS is a widely
used healthcare survey in the United States.5 Freeman et al.13 re-
commended more studies that compare the JCAT and subscales from
the HSOPS. However, we contend that the JCAT provides the requisite
focus on Just Culture that is essential to improve healthcare safety.
This integrative review also highlighted the lack of published
high‐quality QI projects related to Just Culture. This presents an
excellent opportunity for Doctors of Nursing Practice to lead QI
initiatives that implement Just Culture with a scholarly approach. It is
also imperative that this study be disseminated through publication
according to the SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines.16
Most importantly, this integrative review found no published
literature examining Just Culture and patient safety outcomes. The
limited empirical focus on Just Culture and its benefits may be an
underlying cause for the lack of improvement in healthcare safety in
the United States. It is critical, therefore, that more research studies
examine Just Culture, its implementation, and its relationship with
patient outcomes.
4 | CONCLUSION
Two decades after the seminal IOM report,1 the high incidence of
patient harm remains unacceptable.28 Although the HSOPS5
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provides a broad assessment of safety culture, focusing on the
measurement of Just Culture is needed to facilitate improvements
in patient safety.15 The four themes identified in this integrative
review provide the direction and focus for additional research
and QI efforts that will promote adoption of Just Culture and
improvement in patient safety.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.
ORCID
Susan Stockton Snyder http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0322-1178
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How to cite this article: Barkell NP, Snyder SS. Just culture in
healthcare: An integrative review. Nurs Forum. 2021;56:
103–111. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12525
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,
Research for Evidence Based Practice
BASICS OF RESEARCH METHODS
INTRODUCTION
“Nurse researchers bring a holistic perspective to studying individuals, families, and communities involving a biobehavioral, interdisciplinary, and translational approach to science” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2006).
The ability to critically evaluate and analyze data to promote advancements in healthcare is the strength of the DNP-prepared nurse. Research drives the implementation of new practices in healthcare and promotes better quality healthcare for patients and families. In this module, you will explore research methods to evaluate their use in nursing practice. How might research change your area of practice? How do you envision the role of research in role as a DNP-prepared nurse?
Reference: American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2006). AACN position statement on nursing research. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/News/Position-Statements/Nursing-Research.pdf
WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS MODULE?
Module 1: Research Methods: An Introductionis a 2-week module—Weeks 1 and 2 of the course—in which you will analyze research methods and concepts. In your Discussion for Week 1, you will explore and analyze your experience with evidence-based practice (EBP). In Week 2, you will develop a research problem statement, and in your Discussion, you will analyze the significance of this problem and how it might effect positive nursing practice change.
INTRODUCTION
What comes to mind when you think of research? What about research in the field of nursing? How is research generated, and how is it applied? What does research mean to the doctoral nursing student?
Nursing research addresses questions concerning the profession, as well as seeks to improve patient care and practice. “Nursing research is defined as a scientific process that validates and refines existing knowledge and generates new knowledge that directly and indirectly influences the delivery of evidence-based nursing” (Gray & Grove, 2020). This course will give you the opportunity to explore the various methods and ideologies of nursing research. This week, you will examine research methods and explore the importance of such research for nursing practice. You will also review evidence-based practice (EBP) and analyze your personal experience and familiarity with EBP in your organization. Reference: Gray, J. R., & Grove, S. K. (2020). Burns and Grove’s the practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (9th ed.). Elsevier
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
· Analyze previous experiences in nursing practice and nursing research
· Analyze organizational support for evidence-based practice
DISCUSSION
INTRODUCTION AND EXPERIENCE WITH RESEARCH
Have you ever considered the importance of research in nursing? How might research shape the delivery of healthcare?
In this course, you will consider the importance of research in nursing and analyze your previous experience and familiarity with research. Research in nursing began with Florence Nightingale in 1850 and has continued to transform in complexity and scope every year since (Gray & Grove, 2020).
Not surprisingly, the field and practice of nursing is greatly influenced by the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) or rather, nursing practices and guidelines that are strongly supported by research and data outcomes.
For this Discussion, take a moment to introduce yourself to you peers and describe your current or previous role in nursing practice. Reflect on your experience with EBP and consider whether your current organization supports EBP.
Reference: Gray, J. R., & Grove, S. K. (2020). Burns and Grove’s the practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (9th ed.). Elsevier.
TO PREPARE:
· Review the Learning Resources for this week.
· Reflect on your experience with nursing practice and research, particularly EBP. For example, consider how your current organization may support EBP. How might this connect with what you read in the textbook chapters?
Post a brief introduction, including your current or previous role in nursing practice ( psychiatric mental health nurse). Describe any previous experience with nursing research. Be specific. Then, explain any previous experience or familiarity with EBP and explain whether your current organization supports EBP. Be specific and provide examples.
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