Patient Safety Begins and Ends with Each of Us

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class James Stenberg | Hospital Corpsman 1ST Class Aurelio Lares, Cmdr. Zhengshi Song and Hospitalman Pocholo Todor from Naval Hospital Pensacola try to identify safety concerns in the “Room of Errors,” which is an interactive exercise to recognize potential safety issues. To increase awareness about patient safety, NHP participated in the National Patient Safety Foundation’s Patient Safety Awareness Week March 12 – 18.  

UNITED STATES

03.16.2017

Story by Jason Bortz 

NMRTC Pensacola

NAVAL HOSPITAL PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Naval Hospital Pensacola strives every day to provide a safe environment for its beneficiaries to ensure they receive the best care possible.

To increase awareness about patient safety, NHP participated in the National Patient Safety Foundation’s Patient Safety Awareness Week March 12 – 18.

Patient Safety Awareness Week is a national campaign to improve patient safety. This year’s theme is “United for Patient Safety” and health care organizations across the country, both military and civilian, promoted patient safety within their organizations – uniting together – towards safer care. Across the Military Heath System, health care providers, non-clinical staff, patients and families all have a role in keeping patients safe.

“We [the staff of NHP] are here to keep our patients safe and protect them from harm while they are in our care,” said Capt. Michelle McKenzie, special assistant, Quality Management, NHP. “Everything we do at NHP is about patient safety.”

Throughout the week, the staff at NHP participated in activities that emphasized patient safety. The activities included a patient safety trivia game and an interactive exercise to recognize potential safety issues called the “Room of Errors.” In the “Room of Errors,” staff worked together as a team to identify errors that could cause harm to patients. Some examples of the errors included a syringe not labeled, wrong medication and bed rails not positioned properly.

“We focus on patient safety year round, but Patient Safety Week provides us an opportunity to remind everyone how important patient safety is and recognize those that provide care to our patients,” said Donna Bryant, patient safety specialist, NHP.

As focused as the staff at NHP is on patient safety, true patient safety requires a partnership between health care professionals and patients. Patients are encouraged to take an active part in patient safety by speaking up if they see a situation that they feel is unsafe or asking questions. Something as simple as verifying current medications with a provider or asking questions about a procedure could make all the difference between a positive experience or a potentially unsafe experience.

“Everyone is responsible for taking care of each other, this includes patients and health care professional,” said Bryant. “Patient safety begins and ends with each of us.”

• Date Taken: 03.16.2017
• Date Posted: 03.16.2017 13:05
• Story ID: 227062
• Location: US