Abstract
Resilience, the ability to adapt or absorb disturbance, disruption, and change, may be increased by team processes in a complex, socio-technical system. In particular, collaborative cross-checking is a strategy where at least two individuals or groups with different perspectives examine the others’ assumptions and/or actions to assess validity or accuracy. With this strategy, erroneous assessments or actions can be detected quickly enough to mitigate or eliminate negative consequences. In this paper, we seek to add to the understanding of the elements that are needed in effective cross-checking and the limitations of the strategy. We define collaborative cross-checking, describe in detail three healthcare incidents where collaborative cross-checks played a key role, and discuss the implications of emerging patterns.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Veteran’s Health Administration, Health Services Research and Development Service (Cincinnati REAP Developing Center of Excellence) and the Department of Defense (BAA-001-04). This work was also carried out through participation in the Advanced Decision Architectures Collaborative Technology Alliance sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory under Cooperative Agreement DAAD19-01-2-0009. A VA HSR&D Merit Review Entry Program Award supported Emily Patterson. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the view of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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Patterson, E.S., Woods, D.D., Cook, R.I. et al. Collaborative cross-checking to enhance resilience. Cogn Tech Work 9, 155–162 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-006-0054-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-006-0054-8