Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 11-17: Highlighting Patient Safety related activity

Martina

For Patient Safety Awareness Week, we are posting patient safety related initiatives, articles etc in this thread. Tell us what your organization or group are doing to highlight patient safety this week.

Martina

Two international grassroots patient safety campaigns

As this is Patient Safety Awareness Week, we take a look at two international grassroots campaigns with a focus on patient safety #TheatreCapChallenge and #hellomynameis campaign

**#hellomynameis: **started by a physician who was also a terminally ill cancer patient who observed hospital staff not introducing themselves before delivering care. It felt incredibly wrong that such a basic step in communication was missing. She decided to start a campaign, primarily using social media initially, to encourage and remind healthcare staff about the importance of introductions in healthcare. https://hellomynameis.org.uk/

** #TheatreCapChallenge** : A social media campaign urging operating theatre staff to write their name and job on their hat to improve patient safety. The campaign is headed by an anaesthetist from Sydney who believed that clearly displaying ones name and role requires an understanding of system safety and the courage to drive a culture of change and improvement.
https://www.psnetwork.org/as-mad-as-a-hatter/

Martina

ECRI Institute names diagnostic errors the number one concern on its 2018 Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for Healthcare Organizations. Each year, approximately 1 in 20 adults experiences a diagnostic error, according to published studies. These errors and delays can lead to care gaps, repeat testing, unnecessary procedures, and patient harm.

ECRI Institute's 2018 list of patient safety concerns:

1. Diagnostic errors
2. Opioid safety across the continuum of care
3. Care coordination within a setting
4. Workarounds
5. Incorporating health IT into patient safety programs
6. Management of behavioral health needs in acute care settings
7. All-hazards emergency preparedness
8. Device cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization
9. Patient engagement and health literacy
10. Leadership engagement in patient safety

View ESRI report: Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for 2018

Martina

AHRQ related activities for Patient Safety Week:
AHRQ is working with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement /National Patient Safety Foundation (IHI/NPSF) and other HHS agencies to promote a wide variety of information and activities for Patient Safety Awareness Week:
* On Monday, Jeffrey Brady, M.D., director of AHRQ’s Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, joined a panel of presenters during IHI/NPSF’s webinar, “Engaging Patients and Providers: Speaking Up for Patient Safety.” Materials from the webinar will be posted at: http://www.unitedforpatientsafety.org/engaging_patients_and_providers_webcast

• In addition, Dr. Brady co-authored a blog post with IHI Chief Clinical & Safety Officer Tejal Gandhi, M.D., “Patient Safety: Distinct Roles, One Goal": https://www.ahrq.gov/news/blog/ahrqviews/patient-safety-distinct-roles-one-goal.html
• Tuesday, AHRQ Director Gopal Khanna, M.B.A., and AHRQ Chief Medical Officer David Meyers M.D., joined colleagues from the Health Resources and Services Administration for a panel discussion titled, “United in Mission to Ensure Patient Safety.”
• On Wednesday, access a new grantee profile featuring AHRQ-funded researcher Gregory Maynard, M.D., chief quality officer at the University of California Davis Medical Center. Dr. Maynard has used AHRQ funding to combine quality improvement principles with safe practices to develop protocols that reduce patient harm.
• On Thursday, an AHRQ Views blog post by Richard Ricciardi, Ph.D, AHRQ's senior nursing advisor, and Majorie Shofer, B.S.N., director of AHRQ’s general patient safety program, will highlight “New Tools for Ambulatory Patient Safety": https://www.ahrq.gov/news/blog/ahrqviews/index.html
• On Friday from noon to 1 p.m. ET, join a Twitter chat, “Building a Culture of Safety in Health Care.” Use the hashtag #PSAW18 to participate.

Martina

From the Heartland Health Research Institute (HHRI):
"...patient safety begins with having a legitimate culture of safety at each medical establishment. And, it begins in the boardroom on down to each department in the organization. From this embedded culture, all other safety strategies can successfully follow."

Strategies to follow - ‘culture of safety:’
1. Embrace a culture of safety
2. Treat staff burnout as an organizational priority
3. Adopt a structure to improve patient handoffs
4. Develop and nurture a patient and family-led advisory council
5. Be vigilant about reducing infections
6. Work to avoid diagnostic errors
7. To avoid medication errors, find opportunities to include pharmacists
8. Electronic health records systems must be interoperable

Read HHRI Fact Sheet, ‘8 Strategies for Hospitals and Clinics to Prevent Medical Errors.’

Martina

Twitter Chat Friday on Building a Culture of Safety
Patient Safety Awareness Week will wind down with a Twitter chat Friday on building a culture of safety. Use the hashtag #PSAW18 to join the conversation from 12-1 p.m. ET. For more on Patient Safety Awareness Week, sponsored by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and National Patient Safety Foundation, visit www.unitedforpatientsafety.org.

Martina

Speaking Up for Patient Safety: Webcast Recording
Last week, health systems around the world recognized Patient Safety Awareness Week. IHI/NPSF hosted a webcast about speaking up for patient safety, highlighting a survey that found nearly half of people who say they experienced a medical error spoke up about it to caregivers. Watch the webcast recording to learn how you can encourage a culture of speaking up and listening.