Intermountain released a new video this week featuring caregivers from across the system sharing their thoughts about safety for patients and staff. You’re invited to watch the video and consider ways you can improve safety where you work.
Preventing medical errors has been an important, ongoing effort at Intermountain. National experts estimate as many as 98,000 people die from medical errors in America’s hospitals each year. Using processes and techniques centered around high reliability are considered the most effective tools to prevent tragedies from occurring. In this video, Intermountain clinicians share their personal views about how their teams prevent harm, touching on themes reflected in our safe behaviors.
- We work together as a team.
- We speak up for you.
- We stop and resolve in the moment.
Speaking up for safety should happen regularly in team huddles and meetings.
“In our meetings and huddles, there’s nothing that’s off limits,” says Mike Stubbs, a senior practice manager in Las Vegas. “We want everyone to be comfortable and feel safe to bring up anything they want. If we don’t know about it, we can’t fix it. So, we encourage them to speak up and say something.”
“We encourage leaders and caregivers to watch this video together and discuss the themes presented that help keep patients and our caregivers safe from harm,” says Natalie Meyers, RN, senior clinical operations manager for high reliability. “If we focus on the right techniques, which include vulnerability and speaking up, it will be easier to keep them top of mind to benefit patients and each other.”
For more Compassionate Connections resources on what “safe” means to both our patients and caregivers, visit the Compassionate Connections webpage where you can find the OPE Safe Workshop in a Box, Culture of Safety Calendar, “words that work,” and other helpful materials you can use in your unit or clinic. You can also watch a replay of the Compassionate Connections Safe Workshop in a Box