Abstract:

We represent the first Polish academic team supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct the self-assessment of nuclear security culture in a hospital. In 2016 we began to carry out a project in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the large private radiotherapy center in Poland, specializes in nuclear medicine. This paper addresses the approach of strategic thinking of a medical facility shaping its security culture. We describe our research process coming up with the developments of mission, vision, values and strategy statements. Moreover, we introduce the importance of medical security culture as well as the essentials of its self-assessment. The paper presents the essence of pretesting. We describe the methods used during the preliminary research, such as: and survey, document review and interview. We present the significant role of the hospital’s supervisors in this project and the successful cooperation between three different types of organizations: international agency, hospital and university. This self-assessment of medical security culture proved to be a challenge for all of us. In conclusions we give recommendations for the purpose of other forthcoming similar studies based on what we have experienced and learned from this project.