The role of psychological safety in improving team performance and patient care following critical incidents
DOI: https:// doi. org / 10.56496 / VWGN4462
Victoria Weller, BSc( Hons), RVN, CertVN ECC
ENVELOPE vhw21 @ cam. ac. uk
Victoria has a degree in veterinary nursing with applied animal behaviour. She also has a veterinary nursing certificate in emergency and critical care, an area of practice that particularly interests her. She enjoys working hands-on with patients throughout their recovery and continues to work out-of-hours shifts to maintain her range of clinical skills. Her professional interests include clinical teaching, oncology nursing and pain management, and she also enjoys promoting canine- and feline-friendly nursing practices.
ABSTRACT Psychological safety is an important component of veterinary practice, enabling team members to communicate openly, ask questions, report errors and reflect on clinical events without fear of blame or criticism.
This article explores the role of psychological safety in supporting veterinary teams following high-pressure and potentially traumatic events, particularly cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It highlights how supportive leadership, open communication and a no-blame culture can promote learning, staff wellbeing and improvements in patient care.
The importance of emergency preparedness is discussed, including accessible resuscitation equipment, clear allocation of team roles, gaining and recording informed consent from owners, and regular simulation-based training. Structured debriefing following critical incidents provides an opportunity for team members to acknowledge their experiences, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and consider changes to clinical protocols or training. Incident-reporting systems and multidisciplinary review meetings can further support reflective practice by identifying contributing factors and recurring themes rather than focusing on individual error.
By combining psychological safety with effective leadership, preparedness, training and structured debriefing, veterinary practices can strengthen communication, teamwork and clinical decision-making. These approaches can support staff confidence and wellbeing while promoting continuous learning, safer working practices and improved patient care.
Keywords psychological safety, debriefing, trauma, incident reporting, workplace culture, wellbeing, leadership, review processes, training
22 Veterinary Nursing Journal