ABSTRACT
A comprehensive patient safety program requires strategies focused on culture, processes, and technology. Until this point, the journey to safer patient care has involved the building of a strong foundation for safe care and the creation and integration of a culture of patient safety. The fourth step in the journey will incorporate these improvements into efforts to develop and sustain specific processes that drive patient safety. Examples of such processes include mortality reduction initiatives, strategies and tools to improve communication, patient safety huddles, strategies to engage patients in the journey to safer care, and initiatives focused on specific service lines such as ambulatory care, cardiovascular care, and surgical care (see Figure 4.1).
