Systems thinking — improving quality and patient safety

The concept of being good at what we do might seem like an obvious outcome for our profession, after all, we are here to do the best for our patients, but is it inherent that our intentions ensure that we are doing a good job? Not necessarily. Consider the well-known example of airline pilots — is their belief that they want to keep passengers safe going to prevent a crash from occurring? No. Airline travel is safe because of the standardised systems and processes that are embedded in integrated systems frameworks.

In clinical practice, ensuring patient safety is directly related to quality and clinical effectiveness, ‘…doing the right thing, in the right way, for the right patient, at the right time’ (Royal College of Nursing). The World Health Organization defines patient safety as ‘the prevention of errors and adverse effects to patients associated with health care.’ Ensuring quality and patient safety in veterinary practice is more than checklists, audits, and evidence-based practice, it requires systems thinking.