Staff members and visitors were seeing stars as they strolled down PAH’s hallways during the 2018 Patient Safety Week! This year’s theme was “Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Patient Safety,” and clinical and non-clinical departments throughout the hospital were encouraged to put together interactive and educational displays (extra points for a Hollywood tie-in!) spotlighting their quality and safety improvement projects, innovative harm prevention strategies, and patient safety success stories.
“We had a lot of fun with the theme this year. Just like the Oscars celebrate all the different talents that come together to make a great movie, each department at Pennsy is a star in its own right and plays a part in promoting patient safety year round,” said Elizabeth R. Wentzel, RN, ONC, PAH’s performance improvement advisor.
The week also featured a special edition of the monthly Schwartz Center Rounds titled, “Listening, Interrupted.” The rounds provide a forum for staff from a variety of disciplines to dive into the human dimension of healthcare, and Patient Safety Week provided a perfect lens to examine the emotional and social issues that can arise in the process of patient care. A former patient spoke about an admittedly negative experience she had at PAH and drew attention to the necessity of actively and empathetically listening to the patient, and to advocating for them.
“It was a really important and enlightening experience because even though the week mainly focuses on our strategies to prevent harm and to ensure the best patient experience, it's critical for us to hear those not-so-positive stories so we can continue learning and improving our strategies,” Wentzel said.
To wrap everything up, the Patient Safety team announced the display competition winners (a tough challenge for the judging committee!) and recognized PAH’s outstanding Quality & Safety Award winners and nominees during the “Walk of Fame” ceremony. Congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you for cultivating a culture of patient safety and engagement at Pennsylvania Hospital this week – and every week!
- Best Overall Safety Picture: Inpatient Pharmacy
- Best Supporting Department in Sustaining Safety: Emergency Department
- Best Inter-Professional Safety Collaboration: IBC Readmissions Review