Guest Editorial: Care quality and safety: Same old?

Healthcare’s increasing focus on quality and safety seem like a “natural” for nursing. The profession has prided itself in being the patient’s advocate and the keeper of quality and safety. While nursing has clearly provided consistent and committed leadership in these arenas, it is also possible that exclusive professional ownership of quality and safety may actually work against the best interest of both nursing and patients. This editorial challenges nursing to reconsider its role in and approach to quality and safety improvement. Building on the important perspectives presented in this issue of Nursing Outlook, the author identifies the need for nursing to advance its own professional contributions through building on the shared values and commitments common to health professions. Establishing common ground and extending the concept of care teams to incorporate others beyond direct-care providers are explored as a fundamental component of nursing’s work in quality and safety improvement.