HRO in Healthcare

Description:

The widespread practice of HRO in healthcare can trace much of its origins to the publication of two papers, those being 'To Err is Human' by the Institute of Medicine in 1999 and the 2013 paper 'High-Reliability Healthcare: Getting There from Here' that was authored by the president of the Joint Commission. It is often surprising for healthcare administrators to learn, however, that hospital emergency rooms were not considered to be High Reliability Organizations in the seminal 1989 paper in which HRO was defined that. While this may seem contradictory, the confusion comes from not fully understanding the origins and meaning of HRO, both of which are essential in developing effective HRO operational practices in healthcare.

In this seminar, we will discuss the managerial hallmarks of an HRO, those being a preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify interpretation, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise, and interpret these in an array of healthcare contexts within and across levels of patient care. We will discuss some of the pitfalls that are commonly found in the HRO journey of healthcare institutions, and provide examples of opportunities that are commonly missed. In addition, we discuss ways in which HRO interventions may be targeted to sources of complexity in healthcare, including handoffs and the use of technology. Following the seminar, participants should be able to recognize those practices that are indicative of HRO in healthcare, compare alternative practices from an HRO perspective, and apply HRO thinking in developing patient safety interventions.

 

If you are interested in this service, please contact us at cehrop@ttu.edu for more information.