After Patient Suicide: Fostering a Culture of Patient Safety and Clinician Well-Being to Improve Quality of Care.

Abstract: Clinician well-being and patient safety culture play critical roles in how clinicians respond to adverse events. These elements, in turn, affect clinician experience and future patient access to care, both key drivers of health care quality. While there is literature on the relationship between well-being and safety culture, in this column we critically examine their importance after patient suicide, a most devastating medical outcome. We discuss the definition of well-being and safety culture; clarify their relationship; and offer recommendations to achieve both following patient suicide to mitigate future risk.