Patient safety is one of the most critical challenges in modern healthcare, with millions of preventable errors occurring globally every year. While traditional Root Cause Analysis (RCA) has been a cornerstone of addressing these issues, it often falls short of addressing the complex human and systemic factors that contribute to adverse events. Rethinking Patient Safety reframes patient safety science by integrating design thinking into both reactive and proactive strategies. This innovative, human-centered framework enhances today’s traditional approach by embedding empathy, creativity and collaboration into every stage of analysis and prevention, transforming the way healthcare professionals prevent harm.

This book offers clinicians, administrators, and quality improvement specialists a hands-on guide to actionable tools and techniques that not only address harm but also anticipate and prevent it. By integrating design-thinking tools—such as personas, journey mapping, ideation and prototyping—into RCA and reimagining the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle, readers will uncover deeper insights, develop actionable solutions and design impactful safety interventions. A key innovation of this approach is the use of personas to anonymize and represent individuals involved in safety events, allowing teams to explore the cognitive and emotional factors influencing errors without compromising confidentiality. Furthermore, the book provides methods for reframing challenges, prototyping solutions and measuring the effectiveness of interventions within the unique constraints of healthcare systems.

Through engaging case studies and actionable strategies, Rethinking Patient Safety provides healthcare professionals with the tools they need to foster a culture of patient safety that is truly patient-centered.

Kristen Rasmussen, MSN, RN is a recognized healthcare leader and patient safety advocate with over a decade of experience advancing innovative approaches to improve clinical outcomes. As the leader of a healthcare innovation program, she has helped establish cultural principles rooted in design thinking, fostering a human-centered approach to problem-solving and organizational change. In her executive leadership role in patient safety and quality improvement, Kristen led initiatives to strengthen safety culture, implement systemwide education programs, and drive impactful quality improvement efforts across diverse healthcare settings. Her expertise spans strategic planning, clinical operations, and facilitating creative solutions to complex challenges. An engaging speaker, Kristen has presented her work at national conferences. Her forthcoming book explores the application of design thinking tools to reimagine root cause analysis, offering a transformative approach to addressing serious patient safety events.