The term “safety first,” or more simply, “safety first,” is a message that patients not only want to hear, but also want to know. the professionals who take care of it; particularly when they are under anesthesia and have limited or no ability to speak or defend themselves. The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has implemented two initiatives: Recognize and Respond Appropriately to Early Signs of Deterioration in Hospitalized Patients (NPSA, 2007) and How to Lead: Five Steps to Safer Surgery (NPSA, 2010). Knowing that humans make up the workforce of healthcare professionals, it is clear that tools and checklists can and will only be as effective as people use and follow them. Thus, these initiatives “were developed taking into account human factors” (Beaumont and Russell, 2012). I know personally that if my care team had followed these standards, I would have avoided the torture, fear, and long-term side effects of a routine hysterectomy procedure. Initiatives in Detail Recognizing and Responding Appropriately to Early Signs of Deterioration in Hospitalized Patients (NPSA, 2007) stems from an investigation into why patient deterioration is not addressed or recognized by hospital workers. health. The exploration identified a number of failures centered on the lack of appropriate observations and recording of observations, as well as the lack of appropriate communication between hospital staff members. The study found concerns from staff members not observing patients at night, or undertrained staff being forced to interpret vital signs and perform work outside their level of expertise. It also showed a pattern of little or no communication between fellow doctors...... middle of article...... When these two initiatives were introduced, there was documented evidence of 'a reduction in incidences. Unfortunately, the human factor remains and always will be a problem. Success in clinical environments will only come if these tools are implemented and used correctly, and not just as a “check-the-box exercise” (Featherstone, et al., 2010). Works Cited Beaumont, K. and Russell, J. (2012). Standardize for reliability: the contribution of tools and checklists. Nursing Standard, 26(34), 35-39. National Health Service (NHS) England. (nd). Film Five Steps to Safer Surgery [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/patient-safety-videos/five-steps-to-safer-surgery/Featherstone, P., Prytherch, D., Schmidt, P., Smith, G . (2010). ViEWS: towards a national early warning score to detect deterioration in hospitalized adult patients. Resuscitation, 81(8), 932-937.