Day 8: Patient Safety Culture

{"title":"Day 8: Patient Safety Culture","created_at":"23 November 2020, 2:47 pm","author":"","content":"

In recent years, healthcare reform has <\/span>placed <\/span>greater <\/span>emphasis on promoting patient safety and quality improvements in healthcare organizations across the US.<\/span> Starting in 2013, u<\/span>nder t<\/span>he Affordable Care Act,<\/span> healthcare providers' reimbursements<\/span> are<\/span> now<\/span> linked to the quality of healthcare services<\/span> that they provide which also <\/span>encompasses<\/span> patients' experiences<\/span>.<\/span> A recent John<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> Hopkin<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> study indicates that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States<\/span><\/span><\/a>,<\/span> resulting in at <\/span>least 250,000 deaths every year. <\/span>Due to th<\/span>ese factors<\/span>, it has become increasingly important for healthcare organizations to adopt a <\/span>patient safety culture.<\/span> When organizations foster a culture that seeks to put patient safety first, they not only learn how to provide safer care for patients, they also <\/span>have the opportunity to<\/span> drive proactive risk prevention efforts. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

What does an organization gain by <\/span>continuously<\/span> striving for an <\/span>improved <\/span>patient safety <\/span>culture?<\/span> According to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement<\/span> (IHI)<\/span>, when a healthcare institution does not have this culture in place, staff can be hesitant to report adverse events due to fear tha<\/span>t they will be punished or belief that reporting an event will not result in<\/span> meaningful ch<\/span>ange. <\/span>To he<\/span>lp you in your journey, we are highlighting key components of adopting and effectively <\/span>implementing<\/span> a patient safety culture at your organization. <\/span> <\/p>\n\n

Gain organization<\/span>-wide<\/span> support <\/span>for your patient safety culture <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

A patient safety culture should start at the highest level of a healthcare organization.<\/span> Becker<\/span>’s<\/span> Hospital Review<\/span> discusses this in<\/span>, <\/span>“6 Elements of a True Patient Safety Culture,”<\/a> highlight<\/span>ing<\/span> Matthew <\/span>Lamb<\/span>e<\/span>rt<\/span>, MD<\/span>, <\/span>and t<\/span>he two key<\/span> components<\/span> he believes <\/span>contribute<\/span> to<\/span> an organization e<\/span>mbracing <\/span>a<\/span> patient safety culture.<\/span> First, visibility to staff. When frontline staff see that health<\/span> care leadership are <\/span>interac<\/span>ting<\/span> with physicians, nurses and patients<\/span>, beyond traditional boardroom or C-suite settings,<\/span> this shows a <\/span>clear <\/span>commitment to patient safety<\/span>. Additionally, Dr. <\/span>Lamb<\/span>e<\/span>rt<\/span> says <\/span>that v<\/span>isibility to other members of a healthcare leadership team is also a critical part of a true patient safety culture. <\/span>Leadership can convey<\/span> th<\/span>is importance by<\/span> requesting<\/span> that<\/span> patient safety<\/span> is<\/span> the first topic of discussion<\/span> at board meetings. <\/span>Taking this simple action emphasizes members of the leadership team’s commitment to <\/span>prioritizing<\/span> the discussion around patient safety. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

When leadership demonstrate<\/span>s the importance of<\/span> and their commitment to <\/span>patient safety, <\/span>staff are better positioned to follow by example. <\/span>Achieving a patient safety culture is only possible when it is embraced by all levels of the organization.<\/span> The Joint <\/span><\/span>Commission<\/span><\/span><\/a> defines a safety culture as “... <\/span>the product of individual and group beliefs, values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies, and patterns of behavior that determine the organization’s commitment to quality and patient safety.”<\/span> As valuable as it is for an organization to emphasize the importance of patient safety through discussion, it’s also important that all levels of the organization take daily actions to help support a culture of safety.<\/span> To <\/span>help care<\/span> teams<\/span> across the organization<\/span> embrace a patient safety culture, leadership<\/span> should strive<\/span> to encourage staff<\/span> to speak up<\/span> about any safety concerns, <\/span>so <\/span>all members of the organization <\/span>can work to foster a safe environment of <\/span>fair accountability. <\/span> <\/p>\n\n

Adopt an <\/span>effective<\/span> reporting system <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

A patient safety culture means that staff <\/span>have clearly defined opportunities<\/span> to report safety issues that could lead to a near miss or adverse event. <\/span>To empower staff to report<\/span>, i healthcare leadership teams need to adopt a <\/span>non-punitive response to these reports.<\/span> Historically, frontline staff have feared <\/span>punishment<\/span> following a harmful event, which has led to a lack of reporting.<\/span> Leadership<\/span> should work to reward staff<\/span> for speaking up<\/span> and avoid punishing staff when errors or adverse events can be contributed to system failures. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

The IHI suggests<\/span> several <\/span>ways that healthcare leadership can encourage staff to report including <\/span>creating a non-punitive reporting policy<\/a>, <\/span>training managers to identify the difference between human and system failures and asking staff to share <\/span>with others how leadership supported them following a safety issue.<\/span> The next step is to <\/span>equip staff members with easy to use tools<\/a> that capture event data directly in the system. <\/span>RLDatix software<\/a> supports a patient safety culture by helping staff capture adverse events, near misses and good catches<\/span> with customizable forms tailored to an organization’s unique specifications.<\/span> A s<\/span>afety culture doesn’t stop after recording an event. <\/span>RLDatix<\/span> supports <\/span>continued<\/span> tracking of an incident with predefined workflow<\/span>s<\/span> and<\/span> allows providers to<\/span> identify incidents that require further investigation.<\/span> <\/p>\n\n

Promote transparency and openness<\/span> <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

<\/span>The Patient Safety Movement created the Actionable Patient Safety Solutions guide<\/a><\/span> <\/span> to help organizations prioritize their safety actions and measure their progress in each area. One of the checklist categories, <\/span>“Ensure Transparency,”<\/span> highlights the importance of <\/span>transparency and openness <\/span>when <\/span>cultivating a <\/span>patient safety culture.<\/span> Some of the checklist items include emphasizing teamwork, accountability, encouraging staff to speak up when they <\/span>perceive<\/span> a problem and <\/span>creating an <\/span>environment where providers, patients and family members<\/span> can<\/span> actively engage in communication, <\/span>accountability and support<\/span>. Staff, patients and families are uniquely impacted by <\/span>an <\/span>organization’s safet<\/span>y culture, which requires that<\/span> it<\/span> put an emphasis on transparent and open communication with <\/span>each person involved in a safety event. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

The Communication and Optimal Resolution<\/span><\/span> (CANDOR)<\/span><\/span> toolkit<\/span><\/span><\/a> combines<\/span> proven methodologies and best practices to<\/span> help organizations proactively <\/span>offer support when an unintended harm event occurs. <\/span>This approach seeks to equip institutions with tools to deliver compassionate communication<\/span> and provide guidance for hospitals and healthcare systems to respond in a principled way following a harm event<\/span>. <\/span>Dr. Tim McDonald, Chief Patient Safety & Risk Officer at RLDatix, write<\/span><\/span>s,<\/span><\/span><\/a> “<\/span>Support is crucial, and when it’s offered with compassion and sincerity—supported by the institution—we strengthen organizational cultures and optimize their capacities to learn from patient harm in order to reduce the instances in the future.<\/span>”<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

In light of<\/span> COVID-19 and its impact on patients, staff and families, an organization’s communication efforts have never been more important.<\/span> The CANDOR toolkit <\/span>encompasses engaging in honest communication with pati<\/span>ents and families, providing care for the caregivers and learning from incidents, so the organization can revise its processes to <\/span>benefit everyone involved. <\/span> <\/p>\n\n

Develop a safety huddle program <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

S<\/span>afety huddles<\/span> provide<\/span> care teams with <\/span>designated time during the day to<\/span><\/span> actively contribute to building a patient safety culture<\/span><\/span><\/a>. During this time, staff can<\/span> discuss<\/span> critical safety events, manage qualit<\/span>y efforts <\/span>and communicate important information surrounding patient care.<\/span> As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve,<\/span> it is increasingly important that care teams are equipped with tools and programs that support streamlined communication. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

Adopting a safety huddle program<\/span> allows members from teams across your organization to share input from their <\/span>unique<\/span> perspective and gather insights from other<\/span> providers. <\/span>Manual forms of safety huddle management put critical <\/span>patient <\/span>information at risk of getting lost which can ultimately impact<\/span> an organization’s <\/span>pursuit<\/span> of a patient safety culture. <\/span>RLDatix’s safety huddle module<\/a> serves as<\/span> a robust electronic system that support<\/span>s<\/span> an organization’s safety culture by recording <\/span>huddle notes, concerns and follow up pending actions in a centralized, secure and easily accessible <\/span>system. <\/span>Whether you<\/span> have <\/span>implemented a <\/span>safety huddle <\/span>program,<\/span> or <\/span>you are launching one for the first time<\/span>, <\/span>your care teams’ daily huddle contributions <\/span>play an important role<\/span> in<\/span> fostering your organization’s patient safety culture. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

Involve patients in<\/span> safety <\/span>initiatives<\/span> <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

Patients’ input on an organization’s safety <\/span><\/span>initiatives<\/span><\/span><\/a> plays<\/span> a crucial role in developing and maintaining a patient safety culture. <\/span>To help patients and families<\/span> feel included throughout the care process<\/span>, consider<\/span> practicing<\/span> these tips:<\/span> invit<\/span>e<\/span> them to take part in multidisciplinary rounds<\/span> to <\/span>provide comments, ask <\/span>them to<\/span> participate in your patient safety committees or <\/span>includ<\/span>e<\/span> patients and families as partners to help ensure compliance with safe practices<\/span> such as<\/span> ensuring staff are verifying patient identification before administering medication.<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

While patients can serve a<\/span>s a<\/span> supporting defense of an organization’s safety culture, it is important to keep in mind that some <\/span>patients might have apprehens<\/span><\/span>ion around providing input<\/span><\/span><\/a>. To help <\/span>them<\/span> overcome this challenge, it’s the <\/span>responsibility<\/span> of the healthcare<\/span> organization to<\/span> create a strong patient safety culture that emphasizes the valuable role patients play in improving care efforts.<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

Resources exist to help organizations encourage patients to serve as an active role in their patient safety culture. In 2010, The Joint <\/span>Commission<\/span> developed<\/span> the <\/span>“<\/span>Speak Up Initiative<\/span>” which included<\/span> videos and infographics to encourage patients to speak up for<\/span> their<\/span> safety. Addi<\/span>tionally, the <\/span>ARQH Patient Safety Network<\/a> created <\/span>a list of questions that patients should ask before, during and after a healthcare experience.<\/span> The RLDatix<\/span><\/span> <\/a>safety management<\/span> software<\/span> helps organizations make<\/span> their patient safety culture a priority by <\/span>captur<\/span>ing<\/span> feedback from patients<\/span> directly in the <\/span>system<\/span>. This <\/span>allow<\/span>s providers<\/span> to<\/span> inform critical decisions surrounding patient safety<\/span> initiatives<\/span> and <\/span>identify<\/span> what <\/span>safety efforts<\/span> can be improved<\/span>. <\/span> <\/p>\n\n

Your next steps to achieve a patient safety culture <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

As healthcare faces new challenges and opportunities, one aspect remains <\/span>consistent<\/span>: achieving a culture that puts patient safety first should remain top of mind. <\/span>From the corporate level to departmental care teams, each member of a healthcare <\/span>institution can<\/span> actively contribute to pursuing a culture that prioritizes<\/span> the care and safety of patients, families and frontline staff.<\/span> Adopting an effective reporting system, promoting transparent communication, <\/span>developing a safety huddle program and involving patients and families in your organization’s patient safety initiatives are just a few ways that you can actively pu<\/span>rsue<\/span> a <\/span>patient safety culture<\/span> at your organization<\/span>.<\/span> RLDatix<\/span> is here to support<\/span> your efforts<\/span> with comprehensive patient safety tools that drives<\/span> lasting change and performance across each area of your organization. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

Discover how RLDatix can help your organization achieve a patient safety culture<\/span> <\/u><\/span><\/p>\n"}

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