Patients in hospitals and nursing homes are at risk for the development of, often preventable, somatic complications. However, preventive care is not always optimal. Although guidelines are available for many complications, compliance with the guidelines appears to be lacking. Besides general barriers that inhibit implementation, this non-compliance is also associated with the large number of guidelines competing for attention. As implementation of a guideline is time-consuming, organisations can never implement all available guidelines. Another problem is lack of feedback about performance using clear quality indicators and lack of a recognizable, unambiguous system for implementation. 
Aim

The aim of SAFE or SORRY? is to develop an evidence based inpatient safety program for the prevention of three frequently occuring somatic complications (adverse patient outcomes): pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections and falls.  
The development of the program

Experts on the three topics and nurses from participating wards developed the safety program.

The content of the program is based on the evidence based guidelines on pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections and falls. We developed bundles for each complication. A bundle is a group of precautionary steps that, when executed collectively and reliably, have an enhanced effect on patient outcomes.

The program also comprises the following elements for implementation of the bundles: a computerized registration and feedback system, an educational program for nurses and caregivers, and educational material for the patients. Lastly, we developed a tailored implementation plan for the individual wards that will be working with the safety program.  
In future research we will test the effectiveness of the safety program in hospitals and nursing homes.