Safety assessment argues for greater focus on clinician variability

The landmark Institute of Medicine report To Err is Human spurred two decades of system-level approaches to improving the quality and safety of U.S. health care. Despite considerable progress, researchers writing in Nursing Outlook note, “even the best, highest-performing organizations are not immune to variability in individual clinician (nurse, physician) performance.” The authors urge health systems to pursue opportunities to further improve quality and safety by focusing on the variability in clinician performance. “Examining the clinicians who consistently perform above their peers can yield insights into innovative solutions and work arounds that can improve outcomes or reduce costs,” the authors observe. (Nursing Outlook article, 11/30/19)