Other Titles

Clinical Session: Communication strategies for improving patient outcomes

Abstract

Session presented on Sunday, April 14, 2013:

As the acuity and complexity of patient care have increased, the challenge of providing quality care within the context of a safe patient environment has become a point of concern. At our institution, inculcating a culture of patient safety has been a core mission of hospital leadership over the past five years. Noteworthy improvements were apparent relative to reporting significant incidences, as well as in data collection, analysis, intervention and monitoring procedures. It was clear that through our formal processes including audits and focused rounding, substantial changes were occurring. However, hospital leadership continued to feel that there was a gap between direct care providers and administration and that therefore we were missing opportunities to effect even more positive change and an even safer patient care environment. A challenge was made by the administrator and the chief nursing officer, directing the director of quality and patient safety to develop a recommendation to bring these two entities together. The result was an innovative, proactive strategy that has been implemented in three of the hospital's busiest and highest acuity patient care areas. The approach exemplifies the organization's commitment to building a culture of patient safety through shared leadership, accountability, rapid cycle solutions and measurable outcomes. The PSER concept was adapted from the Institute of Healthcare Improvement and The University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers and was developed and implemented to demonstrate the organization's commitment to building a culture of safety and to provide opportunities for senior executives to learn about patient safety concerns at the point of care. The program is a highly interactive and engaging six to eight week process thatpromotes interdisciplinary team feedback about patient safety concerns through multiple venues with the goal of fueling the team'sdesire to be active participants in creating a culture of patient safety.

Author Details

Theresa Sampson, MSN, RN, CNS-CC; Dana Bjarnason, PhD, RN, NE-BC; Angelica Ozaeta, MSN, RN, CPHQ

Sigma Membership

Alpha Delta

Lead Author Affiliation

Harris Health System, Houston, Texas, USA

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Safety, Communication, Collaboration

Conference Name

Creating Healthy Work Environments 2013

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Conference Year

2013

Rights Holder

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All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Additional Files

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Creating a culture of patient safety: Patient safety executive rounds

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Session presented on Sunday, April 14, 2013:

As the acuity and complexity of patient care have increased, the challenge of providing quality care within the context of a safe patient environment has become a point of concern. At our institution, inculcating a culture of patient safety has been a core mission of hospital leadership over the past five years. Noteworthy improvements were apparent relative to reporting significant incidences, as well as in data collection, analysis, intervention and monitoring procedures. It was clear that through our formal processes including audits and focused rounding, substantial changes were occurring. However, hospital leadership continued to feel that there was a gap between direct care providers and administration and that therefore we were missing opportunities to effect even more positive change and an even safer patient care environment. A challenge was made by the administrator and the chief nursing officer, directing the director of quality and patient safety to develop a recommendation to bring these two entities together. The result was an innovative, proactive strategy that has been implemented in three of the hospital's busiest and highest acuity patient care areas. The approach exemplifies the organization's commitment to building a culture of patient safety through shared leadership, accountability, rapid cycle solutions and measurable outcomes. The PSER concept was adapted from the Institute of Healthcare Improvement and The University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers and was developed and implemented to demonstrate the organization's commitment to building a culture of safety and to provide opportunities for senior executives to learn about patient safety concerns at the point of care. The program is a highly interactive and engaging six to eight week process thatpromotes interdisciplinary team feedback about patient safety concerns through multiple venues with the goal of fueling the team'sdesire to be active participants in creating a culture of patient safety.