Institutionalization

Abstract

Unbridled optimism and a flurry of organizational activity followed the publication of To Err is Human. As patient safety became corporatized into new institutions and programs; it became mainstreamed and adopted by organized healthcare. Patient safety became dominated by a measure and manage approach. US hospitals added patient safety to existing quality, risk management and regulatory compliance bureaucracy. This internalization and incorporation led to a closing off of patient safety from influences outside of healthcare. Infection control and health information technology began to dominate safety efforts. Safety culture became a popular topic but in a narrow and instrumental way.