The natural lifespan of a safety policy: violations and system migration in anaesthesia.
Maurice G de S, Auroy Y, Vincent CA, et al. The natural lifespan of a safety policy: violations and system migration in anaesthesia. Qual Saf Health Care. 2010;19(4):327-31. doi:10.1136/qshc.2008.029959.
This study tracked adoption of a process-oriented safety rule and found that compliance eroded over time, with a major trigger being lack of compliance by a senior staff member. The authors provide caution about the role of policies to promote safety behaviors, particularly if such policies are not prioritized by staff as important.