Requirements for implementing a ‘just culture’ within healthcare organisations: an integrative review

PURPOSE: To identify requirements for implementing a ‘just culture’ within healthcare organisations. METHODS: Using Whittemore and Knafl’s methodology for integrative reviews, we searched PubMed, PsychInfo, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Publications were considered eligible when reporting requirements for implementing a ‘just culture’ within healthcare organisations. RESULTS: After screening for inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 publications were included in the final review. Four main themes were identified: leadership commitment, education and training, accountability and open communication. CONCLUSION: The themes identified in this integrative review provide some insight into the requirements for implementing a ‘just culture’ within healthcare organisations. To date, most of the published literature on ‘just culture’ is theoretical in nature. Additional efforts are needed to conduct research to explore further what requirements must be addressed in order to successfully implement a ‘just culture’ which is needed to promote and sustain a culture of safety.