Changing our culture to advance patient safety

"Changing our culture to advance patient safety" served as the theme of the 81st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and is an issue of personal importance to the author. To improve outcomes for patients and prevent avoidable surgical errors, neurosurgeons must change the culture that currently exists in the operating room so that safety concerns are of the utmost importance and that each member of the care team has a personal sense of accountability. Doing this will involve implementing and consistently applying systems-based strategies to ensure an adequate level of safeguards; improving communication with all members of the care team and dismantling authority gradients; and maintaining a well-trained and well-rested workforce.