A road map for advancing the practice of respect in health care: the results of an interdisciplinary modified Delphi consensus study.

Preventable harm encompasses both physical injury and emotional harm to patients and families. Increasingly, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, researchers, and patient advocacy groups have focused on studying and preventing emotional harm. Researchers convened a multidisciplinary expert group to identify best practices for enhancing respect and reducing emotional harm in health care. The group determined 25 strategies, including leading with an emphasis on respect and dignity, promoting accountability, partnering with patients, and supporting frontline staff. They provide a list of practical tactics to shift health care organizations toward a more respectful and just culture. A PSNet perspective examined how to accelerate organizational culture change in health care.