5 Things We Learned at the 2018 AHA/CPSI Roundtable Discussions

The RLDatix team traveled across North America for our annual roadshow, Connections and hosted a roundtable discussion in partnership with the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) to find out the pressing issues that are on your mind.

The goal for these discussions was to create a safe space to ask questions regarding RL software and the current state of healthcare. Needless to say, we learned a great deal from these open roundtable discussions. We present to you the top 5 things we learned at the 2018 AHA/CPSI Roundtables.  

 

1. Collaboration improves everything

The importance of collaboration is a theme that came up over and over again. Most clients are using RL software to improve collaboration within the organization, leading to better results and safer outcomes, but there’s some interest in collaboration between facilities in the same state or province. This data would be used for benchmarking as a means of incident reduction, increasing both accountability and transparency.

A group of experts joined us in Community on HUB to share their advice about how to build community around patient safety. One of those experts was Edarhline Salas, Patient Safety Program Manager at Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Read our Q&A with experts on “Building a Strong Community Around Patient Safety”

 

2. Increased transparency not embraced by all (yet)

As pointed out by the CPSI (Canadian Patient Safety Institute), the key is getting buy-in from all staff because evidence shows that more transparency results in safer healthcare and a vastly improved patient experience. “You think that trust and reputation will decrease with transparency, but because people knew what was going on, it’s actually the opposite. We need to get to a place where we’re completely open and transparent.” - Chris Power, CEO of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute

As healthcare organizations have embarked on the journey to high reliability, transparency and a critical lens have become increasingly important. Read about Peer Review's Role in Safety and Quality

 

3. Behavioral health challenges are a key point of stress

Behavioral health challenges, particularly mental health and substance use disorders, are overwhelming North American healthcare facilities, and treatments often remain siloed. Full transparency in these areas is essential so that treatments extend beyond the use of Naloxone and the underlying illness is treated. The journal, Pain Management and Opiod Epidemic: Balancing Societal and Individual Benefits and Risks of Prescription Opiod Use, discusses strategies aimed at reducing aggregate desire and need for opiods, including both reducing patients' reliance on opiods for pain management and reducing the occurrence and prevalence of untreated OUD.

A pilot study of a brief, Web-based educational intervention found significant improvements in knowledge about safe storage and disposal of prescription opioids postintervention and at 1-month follow-up. The study also found reductions in self-reported misuse (e.g., saving pills, lending medications to others) 1 month postintervention (McCauley et al., 2013).

One frustration raised frequently is the shortage of mental health professionals, particularly in rural counties. Additional funding is required as behavioral health challenges mount. An open dialogue about this crisis is an important first step, but much more is needed before victory can be claimed.

4. Workplace violence (WPV) is a paramount concern

Whereas a healthcare worker’s primary concern is the well-being of patients, another key concern is their own safety while providing this invaluable service. Workplace violence (WPV) committed by patients and their family members against healthcare workers is of key concern to RLDatix customers, AHA, CPSI, and RL software. This collaboration seeks to help hospitals and nurses in avoiding, reducing, and controlling incidents of WPV so that health professionals can focus on providing safer healthcare.

Statistics on workplace violence don’t capture the full picture. Workplace violence is also highly underreported. Download our whitepaper, featuring Northershore Medical Center on “Making the Problem Human: Journey to Workplace Violence Prevention”. It discusses in-depth challenges and strategies on building a workplace violence prevention program. 

5. Your voice is crucial

It’s your committed passion and feedback that drives change! By knowledge sharing through roundtables, webinars and blogs - we can continue has a collective to have meaningful discussions and solutions around patient safety and quality.

Many RL software users found value is having their voices heard and learning about similar challenges other organizations are tackling. Keep sharing your stories on HUB and if you promise to continue sharing, we promise to continue listening. After all, it’s ideas that drive innovation.

Thanks again for Making Connections 2018 such a success! Watch the full presentations from our Virtual event here: http://resources.rlsolutions.com/blog/watch-rl-connections-virtual-presentations

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