A Culture of Safety and Innovation
By Roberto Colón, MD, chief medical officer and vice president of operations, Miami Valley Hospital
Nearly 18 months ago, we took on a tremendous challenge: putting together a plan to manage patients during an unforeseen pandemic. Teams came together to innovate, develop, and continuously improve. Premier Health became the leader in the community during the pandemic. We shared our expertise and guidance with our community to help keep our employees, patients, and families safe. While we have shifted our focus to a different threat , our pursuit of excellence will continue to lead our approach to health care.
As in sports, the path to excellence often involves stressing the importance of the fundamentals. We have been using this same approach in health care, emphasizing the basics at the bedside and in our processes. Our nursing teams, together with our APRNs, have been leading the campaigns to eliminate pressure injuries and falls. Soon you will again see an emphasis on hand hygiene in our clinical areas. While this is something that we get right most of the time, we must get it right ALL OF THE TIME. Sanitizing our hands as we enter AND exit every room will help reduce infections such as MRSA from spreading within our hospitals. Please remember, you must do this even if you are not anticipating contact with the patients. There will be additional emphasis on our hand hygiene observations to help drive better adherence. If someone approaches you after an observation with feedback about your hand hygiene, please listen and be gracious. Rather than disagree, please thank them for helping keep patients safe. Remember, a true culture of safety also embraces accountability.
We have a duty to ensure we provide a safe and high-quality experience for patients under our care. These are responsibilities that guide everything we do in our hospitals. It is our processes and our people that will help patients enjoy a safe journey while we care for them. Health care is ever-changing, and the path to success will require tremendous innovation at every step. Every single member of our organization plays a key role. No one is exempt from this responsibility to help ensure that safety and quality are leading our discussions.
As you go about your day - whether you directly care for patients at the bedside or help support their care from afar - remember the basic principle: Safety starts with me!
Back to the June 2021 issue of Premier Pulse
