Safety huddles: improving patient safety culture

The prevalence of harm to patients in healthcare settings remains a critical global concern, with falls and pressure injuries being the most common yet preventable forms of harm. Various strategies, such as clinical audits, staff training programmes, and standardised protocols, can be employed to address these issues. Safety huddles stand out as a promising approach to mitigate harm by fostering collaboration and accountability within healthcare teams, advancing patient safety culture.

Safety huddles are brief focused meetings (usually 5 to 15 minutes) where health professionals discuss safety concerns, risks, and strategies to improve patient safety. Although these huddles are beneficial across various healthcare settings, they are especially important in nursing, where patient care and safety are paramount. The goal is to ensure all team members are aware of safety issues and aligned in addressing them. During a huddle, the team discusses high-risk patients, incidents or near misses, staffing levels, resource availability, and environmental factors such as equipment or space issues. Critical updates on patient conditions, admissions, transfers, or discharges are also shared. The primary objective is to identify and address risks early, improving patient outcomes and preventing harm.