EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Active engagement with employees can help improve patient safety. Build a culture of safety by showing employees how much their contributions matter.
- Reward employees for good safety behavior.
- Celebrate achievements that signify a good safety culture.
- Keep employees informed about incidents and results.
The most important way hospitals can achieve patient safety goals is to build a culture of safety that includes patients, providers, and staff, says Julie Walker, executive vice president and managing director at symplr, a company in Nashville, TN, that provides risk, patient safety, and compliance consulting for healthcare organizations.
Recent news stories about clinicians facing criminal charges for medical errors and patient safety concerns have many providers feeling anxious about what will happen to them if they report an incident or near-miss, Walker says. A safety-first culture rewires this mindset, encouraging employees to report unsafe conditions to protect patients.
Walker suggests an effective safety culture can be created and encouraged using these five policies and behaviors:
• Reward employees. Organizations are most successful when they reward caregivers and employees, either with praise or money, for reporting never events, near misses, and unsafe conditions. The emphasis should always be on collaborating to ensure an incident is never repeated rather than punishing an individual for making a mistake.
“By praising those who report issues and making a cultural change, healthcare organizations build team camaraderie around improving patient outcomes,” Walker says.
• Close the loop. Employees need to know incidents will be investigated and changes will be made. Action validates the importance of incident reporting and helps employees know their time was well spent.
“Communication with staff before, during, and after the actions were taken — apprising them of what exactly was done — is essential,” Walker says. “A hospital I worked with in Pennsylvania saw a huge increase in reporting after adopting this ‘close the loop’ practice.”
• Celebrate results. This is another way to praise employees for reporting and to close the loop. Sharing the incident or near-miss stories can inspire employees to be vigilant and adopt a safety culture. Keeping strict records of improved patient safety outcomes and sharing results helps employees feel ownership and pride in their patient and staff safety work.
• Invite the broader community to participate in the initiative. The culture of patient safety does not stop with the healthcare organization’s employees. It should be extended to patients, family members, and friends.
“Through facility signage and verbal invitations, everyone should be empowered and know how to report their concerns,” Walker explains. “If they see something, they should be able to say something.”
Cultural change starts from the top, Walker says. Leaders must be outspoken advocates for patient safety. Praise employees for reporting dangerous situations. Celebrate positive changes. Make this a standard part of both formal meetings and casual conversations.
Another step hospitals can take to effectively meet and exceed patient safety goals is to make reporting easy and incorporate it into the regular clinical workflow.
“For example, I’ve worked with hospitals that switched from cumbersome paper forms to mobile reporting apps. Hospital staff were easily able to take a picture, fill out a few prompts about what happened, and then continue with their busy schedules,” Walker says. “Making incident reporting electronic resulted in a significant increase in reports, which is always the goal. I’ve also seen hospitals find success by making event reporting accessible from within their electronic health record to avoid disrupting clinicians’ workflows.”
Walker notes healthcare historically has been hierarchical and paternalistic, but that should not continue, especially when it comes to patient and staff safety. It is important to empower everyone in the healthcare ecosystem to be mindful and vocal about their safety concerns. Providing different avenues for reporting, including anonymity in certain circumstances, will encourage incident reporting.
“COVID-19 presented new challenges by creating an incredibly stressful healthcare environment. Recent reports show that safety incidents and medical errors increased during the pandemic,” Walker says. “Experts are still investigating the root causes for the rise, although burnout, understaffing, and medical supply shortages are absolutely factors. Addressing those issues will make a difference.”
SOURCE
- Julie Walker, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, symplr, Nashville, TN. Phone: (866) 373-9725. Email: [email protected].
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