Roundup

Patient Safety WalkArounds

A new initiative is hitting NHS hallways and patient rooms this spring – Patient Safety Leadership WalkArounds – a way in which senior leaders demonstrate their commitment to safety and learn about the safety issues in their own organization.

The WalkArounds are increasing the awareness of safety issues among all clinicians and helping to make safety a priority. WalkArounds are happening in patient care departments (such as the emergency department, operating rooms, etc.) providing an opportunity for senior leaders to talk with front-line staff about patient safety issues and show their support for staff-reported adverse events or related issues/concerns. These WalkArounds are an opportunity to discuss matters with tangible solutions and identify areas for improvement.

Fair and Just Culture

The first theme is the promotion of the NHS Fair and Just Culture Philosophy. This means giving constructive feedback and critical analysis in skillful ways, doing assessments that are based on facts, and having respect for the complexity of the situation. In order to have the greatest impact and achieve the highest level of excellence, staff must be able to speak up about problems, errors, conflicts and misunderstandings in an environment where it is the shared goal to identify and discuss problems with curiosity and respect. To achieve excellence, unwanted or expected outcomes and inefficiencies of practice must be used as the basis for a learning process. Respect must be shown to all people at every level of the organization.

Thank you to the many units whose staff participated in the first round of Patient Safety Leadership WalkArounds! Most staff indicated that they do feel comfortable with reporting incidents and good catches, however, a small proportion of staff report they are concerned that disciplinary action may result from reporting incidents.

All staff need to know that reporting incidents is an excellent way to track trending and create opportunities for continuous improvement. Niagara Health is committed to applying the Fair and Just Culture Philosophy when dealing with incidents and good catches.

Infection Control Focus

Infection Control was a focus during this WalkAround. All staff are reminded to keep Best Practice and Universal Precautions in mind at all times. For patient and staff protection, always engage in appropriate hand-washing methods and use the waterless hand-cleaning stations equipped with alcohol gel. Proper cleaning is the key to reducing infection. On some units it may be appropriate for staff to carry an alcohol-gel bottle. Please speak to a clinical manager for clarification.

The Risk Management department is still analyzing the results of the first round of WalkArounds and early indications are that they have been an overall success. Outcomes of the analysis will be shared once it has been completed. Research reports have shown that WalkArounds are a successful mechanism to increase safety awareness for everyone in the organization. Get engaged for better healthcare! «