Monitoring Errors
Failure-to-rescue errors seem to warrant a call for increased vigilance among all levels of
caregivers. This is a highly desirable, yet difficult to attain objective without clear definitions of
what behaviors make up “increased vigilance.” Geller and Johnson31 propose using a list of
behavior-based expectations to specifically target behaviors linked to a patient safety objective,
in this case increased vigilance on the medical unit floor. Once these behaviors are defined, they
can be observed and recorded, and once a baseline level of performance is established, they can
be targeted for OBM intervention. Continued data collection indicates whether the intervention is
effective and should be continued.