Question

The Swiss cheese model of accident causation illustrates what important concept in patient safety?

A. Unsafe acts (including errors and violations) are the most important cause of harm to patients.
B. Both latent unsafe conditions and active failures (unsafe acts) contribute to harm
C. Harm results when the layers of defense in a system fail to prevent a hazard from reaching a patient
D. Both latent unsafe conditions and active failures (unsafe acts) contribute to harm and harm results when the layers of defense in a system fail to prevent a hazard from reaching a patient

Answer 1

The Swiss cheese model demonstrates that harm in patient safety occurs from both latent conditions and active failures, and when the healthcare system's defensive layers fail.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Swiss cheese model of accident causation illustrates the concept that both latent unsafe conditions and active failures (unsafe acts) contribute to harm, and harm results when the layers of defense in a healthcare system fail to prevent a hazard from reaching a patient. This model is often used to understand how errors can accumulate and align - much like holes in slices of Swiss cheese - to allow a critical incident or accident to occur. It underscores the importance of multiple layers of defense and that no single barrier should be expected to stop all errors.