High reliability organization research: Transforming theory into practice a literature review for healthcare

A High Reliability Organization (HRO) is one that conducts relatively error free operations over a period of time, making good decisions that result in high quality, safe, and reliable operations. HRO research initially focused on utility grid management, air traffic control, and flight operations aboard United States Navy aircraft carriers. As research continued and was published, other industries became interested in HRO theory and application. Previous literature reviews have shown the breadth of HRO research areas and suggested future quantitative research to operationally define HROs as well as define the economic benefit of operating as an HRO. Applied research on the beneficial results of operating as an HRO is another opportunity and there is little documentation in the literature. The objective of this research is to perform a literature review on one area of HRO implementation, specifically health care, to determine potential fruitful avenues of future research in one area with HRO implementation activity.