High Reliability for a Highly Unreliable World : Preparing for Code Blue Through Daily Operations in Healthcare

Authors Daved van Stralen, MD, FAAP; Spencer L. Byrum; and Bahadir Inozu, PhD, are experts in the art and science of High Reliability Organizing (HRO). They have, in their diverse and successful careers, applied the fundamentals of the HRO system to aviation, healthcare, public safety, manufacturing, and a multitude of other industries. Among these industries, HRO’s applications in healthcare have been garnering the most attention recently.

In this new guide to the principles of HRO, the authors explore its uses in healthcare and list the many ways industry leadership can benefit from its implementation.

In addition to HRO’s many benefits, this new guide also explores

• the five HRO principles,
• HRO in healthcare environments,
• the problems HRO solves,
• Boyd’s OODA loop,
• decision making in healthcare,
• threat responses,
• leadership models,
• organization culture, and
• many other important fundamentals.

HRO is an effective way an organization can respond to crisis, chaos, and adversity. It gives leadership, management, and all levels of the organization a way of processing challenges and overcoming them as a single unit.

With the help of these industry experts, discover how HRO helps you learn and grow as team member, manager, and leader.

Daved van Stralen, MD, FAAP, is an assistant professor of pediatrics and the cocreator of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. He developed America’s first clinical, academic emergency medical care bachelor’s degree and served as medical director for the Riverside County Emergency Medical Services Agency.

Spencer L. Byrum is the CEO of HRS Consulting. He is also a former rescue pilot and head of standardization and training for the US Coast Guard. He has developed and delivered training materials to NASA, US Combat Air Forces, militaries of seven NATO countries and more. He now applies the lessons he learned in the aviation industry to all levels of the healthcare field.

Bahadir Inozu, PhD, works with organizations in many industries to improve system reliability and performance. He has published a book on performance improvement in healthcare and consults with various companies and hospitals.