Psychological safety for the staff

An organisation with a strong patient safety culture will promote the psychological safety of its staff. Psychological safety refers to the shared belief that a team can deal with complex challenges when there is an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. Thus, safer care is provided when the causes and ways to avoid clinical errors can be discussed and analysed without fear of criticism or sanctions.

It relates to how:

• Clinical errors are addressed.
• Clinical decisions are made in an uncertain environment.
• Feelings and concerns arising from overload are managed.

There is growing concern about how to improve teams to cope with the workload. The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has highlighted the importance of this issue.

Previous research has established that inclusive leadership behaviours, good interpersonal relationships, and supportive organizational practices can promote psychological safety. These factors have been critical during the pandemic.