Focusing on a culture of safety

A culture of safety is what nurses want and strive for in their practice every day. It’s about being able to provide health care for our patients and our communities that is safe, ethical, and of the highest quality possible. It also means collaborating to create a positive work environment that is as safe, respectful, and healthy for nurses as it is for patients.

Given its importance, the American Nurses Association (ANA) embarked on a yearlong initiative to help nurses learn more about what shapes a culture of safety and to provide them with strategies and resources to make their vision a reality. Our campaign theme was “Safety 360: Taking Responsibility Together.”

This report reflects some of the campaign activities and other efforts we pursued on behalf of nurses and the patients we serve.

It was an eventful year. Early on, ANA addressed nurses’ many questions about the Zika virus by holding a time-sensitive webinar and providing online resources. We ended the year by speaking out strongly for patients’ access to equitable, affordable health care. In between, we took actions to help alleviate the opioid epidemic; presented up-to-date, relevant information on staffing, quality initiatives, and patient outcomes; and continued to advocate for both RNs and APRNs to practice to the full extent of their education, experience, and scope.

These pages feature nurses who helped us move our work forward. We are grateful for their contributions, as well as those of all our nurse members and the many nursing organizations that are our partners. Although our formal culture of safety campaign ended in December, ANA’s commitment to securing safe, quality practice and work environments for nurses and patients is as strong as ever.

Sincerely,

Pamela F. Cipriano
PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
President

Marla J. Weston
PhD, RN, FAAN
Chief Executive Officer

Debbie Hatmaker
PhD, RN, FAAN
Executive Director

For the entire 2016 Annual Report click below.