Last year, I faced a harrowing experience that would change my perspective on healthcare forever. What began as an emergency surgery to combat a flesh-eating bacteria quickly turned into a nightmare. While the initial procedure went well, a critical oversight nearly cost me my life. Due to negligence, an artery was left unclosed, and I almost bled out that same evening. But looking into it, it seems this isn’t an isolated incidence. In the U.S. alone, medical errors claim around 300,000 lives annually, making it the third leading cause of death. Globally, even in high-income European countries, approximately 1 in 10 patients suffers harm while receiving hospital care. These sobering statistics underscore a grim reality: our healthcare systems can sometimes harm those they aim to help.

This brush with death sparked a burning question: How can we more effectively manage patient safety risks by focusing on healthcare providers themselves? What if we could predict and prevent these errors before they occur? The patient safety risk model is a framework designed to revolutionize how we approach safety in healthcare.

At its core, the patient safety risk model is a strategic framework that assesses patient safety risks through the lens of healthcare professionals' capabilities and performance. Unlike traditional approaches that focus solely on protocols and systems, this model places healthcare providers at the center of risk management strategies. This dual focus allows us to assess whether healthcare providers possess the skills, knowledge, and psychological readiness to deliver high-quality care under stressful conditions.

Think of it like this: It’s not enough for a surgeon to know how to perform a technically challenging procedure. They must also have the cognitive bandwidth, emotional resilience, and the........

© Psychology Today