Each day, patients place their trust, and often their lives, in the hands of the health care system. Their experiences and health outcomes are affected by their encounters with the health profession. Unfortunately, more than one in three patients in the United States report dissatisfaction with their health outcomes and care. As we observe World Patient Safety Day, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and Patients for Patient Safety US recognize that addressing this challenge requires urgent and coordinated action.
Health workers are essential to the provision of quality and safe care. But when health workers face overwhelming administrative burdens and unsustainable workloads, the ripple effects reach every patient they serve. Clinicians who dedicate their careers to improving patient health are increasingly unable to deliver the compassionate, thorough care they were trained to provide.
In this strained system, patient experiences, outcomes, and importantly, patient safety can be negatively impacted. The connection between clinician well-being and patient safety is undeniable. Clinician burnout is associated with medical errors, poor patient outcomes, and even tragedies like avoidable patient deaths and clinician suicide.
Over the years, the NAM has persistently advanced the importance of patient safety. In fact, the NAM (then the IOM) was one of the first to call attention to the issue of patient quality and safety 25 years ago when it released the landmark study, To Err is Human, setting forth a national agenda for improving patient safety through the design of a safer health system. The health workforce crisis adds new urgency to the call for system-wide change.
Safety is built on trust: patients’ trust in clinicians, and clinicians’ trust in the systems they work within. More and more health organizations are making great strides in supporting the workforce and improving patient safety, but ongoing investment and expanded action is critical. The connection between clinician well-being and patient safety is too often underrecognized: making progress in clinician well-being can help achieve better outcomes for all.
“We must continue to take action to build environments that promote safe care for and protect our patients and clinicians, but there’s much more to be done,” said NAM president Victor J. Dzau. “Clinician well-being must remain a strategic priority because a healthy workforce means healthy patients and communities. When we invest in one, we’re investing in the other.”
Donald Berwick, co-founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, underscores the opportunity for partnership between those representing patients and clinicians: “Few endeavors unite the dreams and interests of patients and clinicians more than the goal of ever safer patient care. Patients deserve to count on safety and are essential partners in improvement. And clinicians derive purpose and well-being from knowing that they are continually striving for better healing for patients.”
“Patient trust is rooted in safe care and that begins in a health care environment that supports everyone involved,” said Susan Sheridan, president and CEO of Patients for Patient Safety US. “Patients have the same goals as the people who care for us—better patient outcomes. We need to focus on this common purpose to build a better collaborative relationship. Patients and health workers should be on the same team, together.”
Trust is the thread that can tie patients and clinicians to their shared aim: better outcomes and more connection.
Health organizations everywhere can take action to build systems that support health workforce well-being and patient safety. The NAM’s Change Maker Campaign represents a new chapter in the organization’s patient safety leadership by bringing together organizations committed to fostering initiatives that improve clinician well-being, while ensuring patient safety and quality care are prioritized in these efforts. Participating in Patient Safety Week and Health Workforce Well-Being Day offer additional opportunities to advance this critical work alongside patients and clinicians, building a future of health care where trust is at the center.
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