@article {Cross176, author = {Stephen Richard Harrold Cross}, title = {The systems approach at the sharp end}, volume = {5}, number = {3}, pages = {176--180}, year = {2018}, doi = {10.7861/futurehosp.5-3-176}, publisher = {Future Healthcare Journal}, abstract = {A systems-based approach to patient safety has been widely accepted and advocated. Despite this, and a renewed -emphasis on organisational learning in improving the safety of patients, many patients still suffer unintended harm during their care. This paper reviews the central theoretical themes of a systems-based approach and raises four key questions -relating for clinicians working at the {\textquoteleft}sharp end{\textquoteright}: how can -clinical teams best apply a systems approach to patient safety, how can patient safety move from a focus on past harm to a proactive approach, how can we avoid a corrosive culture of blame, and what should our response at the sharp end be to seemingly unsolvable problems?}, issn = {2514-6645}, URL = {https://www.rcpjournals.org/content/5/3/176}, eprint = {https://www.rcpjournals.org/content/5/3/176.full.pdf}, journal = {Future Healthcare Journal} }