Patient safety and engagement at the frontlines of healthcare.

Since the release of the seminal work To Err Is Human in 1999, there has been widespread acknowledgement of the need to change our approach to patient safety in North America. Specifically, healthcare organizations must adopt a systems approach to patient safety, in which organizations take a comprehensive approach aimed at building resilient barriers and ensuring a culture of open communication and learning. Here in Canada, the patient safety movement gained momentum following the publication of the Canadian Adverse Events Study in 2004, which concluded that close to 40% of all hospital-associated adverse events were potentially preventable. Baker et al. (2004) argued for the need to modify the work environment of healthcare professionals to better ensure barriers were in place, as well as the need to improve communication and coordination among healthcare providers. The changes proposed a decade ago required greater healthcare worker engagement in patient safety and the creation of a culture of patient safety.