Hospitals as cultures of entrapment: a re-analysis of the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
Weick KE, Sutcliffe KM. Hospitals as Cultures of Entrapment: A Re-Analysis of the Bristol Royal Infirmary. Calif Manage Rev. 2012;45(2):73-84. doi:10.2307/41166166.
Despite an unacceptably high rate of postoperative mortality, surgeons at the Bristol Royal Infirmary continued to perform pediatric cardiac surgery until the United Kingdom Department of Health intervened. A subsequent inquiry revealed that as many as 35 deaths over a 5-year period could have been prevented, and two surgeons lost their licenses. This analysis explores the deficiencies in safety culture that allowed such poor outcomes to go unaddressed. A prior study also discussed the scandal’s implications for hospital quality improvement efforts.