True partnership with patients and families in safety work is an important yet elusive goal. This commentary outlines elements supporting engagement as part of an ambitious global plan and awareness campaign to ensure medical error reduction efforts are fully informed and enriched through the application of the patient and family experience in health care.

‘Second victim’ is controversial term used to describe health care professionals who experience continuing psychological harm after involvement in a medical error or adverse event. In this study, an expert panel reviewed existing definitions of ‘second victim’ in the literature and proposed a new consensus-based definition.

… Am J Med Qual … Patient safety in ambulatory care settings is … importance of engagement in developing safety solutions. A recent PSNet perspective discusses patient safety … patient safety in primary care: a qualitative study. Am J Med Qual. 2022;37(5):379-387. …

… J Health Serv Res Policy … A key aspect of patient safety culture is the perception that … and senior leader participants, deciding to report a safety event (referred to as a “voiceable concern”) is … about speaking out in hospitals: A qualitative study. J Health Serv Res Policy. Epub 2022 Jan 3. …

… as one key component of good quality care. … Hannawa AF, Wu AW, Kolyada A, et al. The aspects of healthcare quality that are … study. Patient Educ Couns. Epub 2021 Oct 30. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.10.016 …

Patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) are designed to be team-based, coordinated, accessible primary health care. This qualitative study explored patient perceptions about safety in PCMHs. Identified themes important to patient safety include communication with and between clinicians and trust in the care team, including being heard, respected, and treated as a whole person.

… online open courses (MOOCs) have the ability to reach a broad audience of learners. The Science of Safety in … learning format. … Gleason KT, Commodore-Mensah Y, Wu AW, et al. Massive open online course (MOOC) learning … study. Nurse Educ Today. 2021;104:104984. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104984. …

… J Patient Saf Risk Manag … The July effect is a phenomenon that presumably results in poor care due to the … these practitioners to provide the safest care possible. … Wu AW, Vincent C, Shapiro DW, et al. Mitigating the July …

… J Healthc Qual … The goal of the patient centered medical … coordinated, accessible health care. This study used a consensus process with input from a physician panel to … of patient safety practices . … Oberlander T, Scholle SH, Marsteller J, et al. Implementation of patient safety …

… Int J Environ Res Public Health … Clinicians involved in … and lack of financial resources. Findings indicate a need for implementing new second victim support programs, … systematic review of second victim support resources. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(10). …

… can motivate and support speaking up behaviors. … Wu F, Dixon-Woods M, Aveling EL, et al. The role of the … formal organisation in voice about concerns in healthcare: a qualitative interview study. Soc Sci Med. 2021;280:114050. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114050. …

… J Patient Saf … Unanticipated adverse events harm not only … to the use of organization support programs. … Edrees HH, Wu AW. Does one size fit all? Assessing the need for organizational second victim support programs. J Patient Saf. 2021;17(3):e247-e254. …

… J Healthc Manag … The  Resilience in Stressful Events  (RISE) … RISE: exploring volunteer retention and sustainability of a second victim support program. J Healthc Manag. 2021;66(1):19-32. Epub 2021/01/08. …

… J Patient Saf Risk Manag … This article describes one … organizational changes. … Kasda E, Robson C, Saunders J, et al. Using event reports in real-time to identify and … patient safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Patient Saf Risk Manag. 2020;25(4):156-158. …

In this editorial, patient safety experts discuss threats to healthcare safety and quality due to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., failures in infection prevention and control, diagnostic errors, issues with laboratory testing) and highlight positive changes and opportunities, such as improved care coordination, supply chain innovations, accelerated learning, expansion of telemedicine, and prioritizing the safety and well-being of health care workers.

… J Patient Saf … The aim of the Patient Centered Medical Home … factors with patient safety culture in medical homes: a coincidence analysis. J Patient Saf. Epub 2020 Aug 3. 10.1097/pts.0000000000000752 …

… J Patient Saf Risk Manag … This editorial discusses priority … , promoting wellness, and showing gratitude for staff. … Wu AW, Buckle P, Haut ER, et al. Supporting the emotional … of health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Patient Saf Risk Manag. 2020;25(3):93–96. doi: …

… N Engl J Med … This study randomized primary care practices across … ten health care systems to evaluate the effectiveness of a multifactorial intervention to prevent falls with injury , … strategy to prevent serious fall injuries. N Engl J Med . 2020;383(2):129-140. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2002183. Epub …

… J Patient Saf … In this literature review, the authors … overcoming barriers are also discussed, such as adopting a blame-free climate and enhancing clinician training in …

To address the negative psychological impacts faced by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis, the authors of this commentary recommend three strategic principles for healthcare institutions responding to the pandemic: Encourage leadership to focus on resilience  Ensure that crisis communication provides both information and empowerment Create a continuum of staff support within the organization to address a surge in mental health concerns among healthcare workers.