Profiles in Patient Safety: Lessons from Effective Programs
Frontline nurse managers have a unique role in crafting and implementing KP's patient safety agenda. The nurse manager’s initiative and commitment to safety and quality is more crucial than ever, not least since continuing news stories and studies about medical errors have heightening public, legislative, and industry concerns, nursing leaders are highly attuned to the need for safety improvement. However, safety issues—arguably the most complex set of problems confronting health care today—have typically proven resistant to reform.
Rather than be overwhelmed by dispiriting media reports or the nursing shortage’s undeniable impact on patient safety, a number of hospital leaders—nurse executives first and foremost—have tackled the patient safety challenge head-on. Through concerted efforts—some sweeping, some targeted—they have realized meaningful safety improvements that have begun to transform outdated, ineffective systems and cultures. Presented as a series of case profiles, this practice brief offers an overview of several hospitals’ safety successes in five main areas:
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Broad-Spectrum Data Monitoring
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Codification of Safety Principles
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Staff-Centered Safety Infrastructure
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Nurse-Focused Decision Support
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Retrospective Internal Assessment
The brief concludes with an eight-page case study of one hospital that has made significant strides in all five areas of safety improvement.
We think you may be interested in reading more about effective approaches to improving patient safety. To find out more, download the full report*.