Patient Safety Coaching

This book outlines the main causes of adverse events and how healthcare workers are currently addressing these issues using a Safety-1 approach. However, with little improvement in statistics over the past two decades, there is a need to introduce a new approach to safety within the healthcare sector – Safety-11 (Hollnagel et al, 2015). Leaders who want to develop a psychologically safe working environment in which staff ‘speak-up’ and report incidents and near misses would benefit from learning how to coach their team members. The knowledge and strategies presented in this book have been compiled from recent and relevant academic research into how leaders can use coaching to develop a patient safety culture within their team. No matter what level or area of the organisation the clinical leader works in, this book provides additional non-technical, knowledge and skills for clinical leaders, especially those with a dedicated mandate to ensure patient safety within their healthcare organisation such as a hospital, aged or residential care facility, or any community healthcare setting. It describes strategies which leaders can use to increase awareness and reporting of patient safety issues within their team, and ways to ensure a safe working environment in which staff report near misses without fear of blame or dismissal. Allied health professionals and primary care providers such as paramedics, midwives, dentists and pharmacists would benefit from learning the coaching skills outlined in this book (and available in this course delivered by the Australian Institute of Professional Coaches), and the knowledge of how to coach others to international standards as self-regulated by professional coach associations such as the International Coach Federation. The book and course do not address issues related to hospital processes and systems such as rostering, staffing, hospital volume, capacity or resources, except to note that these factors may present as significant hindrances to the development of a patient safety culture. Instead, the focus of this book and course is on how frontline leaders can improve the clinical practices of their team through coaching.

  • Coaching for Leadership Capability

    Provide excellent leadership and support to your staff as they raise issues that may cause patients harm. A key component of a Safety-11 solution for better patient care is effective leadership, which supports individuals and teams as they strive to manage workplace dilemmas and prevent adverse events. The nontechnical coaching skills—patient safety coaching—work in concert with your primary functional expertise to support the development of a psychologically safe working environment within your team.

  • Coaching for Staff Wellbeing

    Support your staff when they need it most, to overcome trauma and regain their wellbeing. Well-functioning staff focus meaningfully and purposefully on the job at hand, are mindful of doing their job well, and relate and communicate effectively with colleagues. Remaining centered and emotionally regulated in an often-changing work environment is of utmost importance for delivering exceptional patient care, especially in situations in which split-second decisions are needed.

  • Coaching for Cultural Change

    In a psychologically safe workplace in which there is no blame or recrimination, near misses are reported, and staff learn from their mistakes. A patient safety culture is formed when all staff members share the values of patient safety, understand and share the meaning behind the words, are focused on a common purpose, and behave in ways that demonstrate commitment to patient safety.

About the author

Susanne was awarded a PhD in Management from the University of Queensland, Australia in 2020, specialising in how organisations embed a coaching culture into their everyday operations to achieve transformational cultural change. She also holds three Masters degrees in Education, Psychology and Business Administration. Based on her PhD research, Susanne authored two previous books which have been published by Springer: Positive Psychology Coaching (2021) and Coaching Culture (2022). Her research interest now lies in how clinical and governance leaders can improve the patient safety culture within healthcare organisations through coaching.
Susanne has held teaching positions at the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University, as well as senior executive positions in government and private sector organisations. She has served as a Board member on several government, not-for-profit and professional services firms. Her experience as an Executive Coach was gained from 20 years as a consultant to national and international organisations. In 2012, as a former practicing educational, organisational and counselling psychologist, Susanne founded the Australian Institute of Professional Coaches to support individuals achieve their personal and professional goals, and organisations to increase employee engagement, retain talent and improve profitability. She now leads a quiet life as an independent researcher and keen observer of nature and the human condition. Dr Susanne Knowles | LinkedIn

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Patient Safety Coaching | SpringerLink Transforming healthcare culture
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