I am privileged to work for an institution who has a robust safety culture, built on the basis of transparency and just culture. However, after hearing my colleagues share their stories of retribution, intimidation and blame, it is clear that more work is needed across the medical field. I was impressed by just how pervasive this problem is. I am also amazed at how easily event reviews can devolve into pointing fingers, blaming and shaming – this was evident in both the cases presented and the stories that were shared. We continue to see this occasionally in our own resident driven M&M cases, and it is something we need to address further – we need to adjust our culture to achieve a just culture.
I feel strongly that caring for the caregiver is an important cornerstone of fostering a just culture and a culture of safety. Knowing that someone will be there to support you through a traumatic experience is invaluable. I have personally seen this program work for associates and colleagues, and it is something that I think needs more awareness in my residency program, as part of our overall resident wellness curriculum.