Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob L. Greenberg | 210122-N-DA693-1015 SAN DIEGO (Jan. 22, 2020) Lt. Joshua Johnson, an anesthesiology...... read more read more
Lt. Joshua Johnson, a U.S. Navy anesthesiology resident assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) San Diego took first place in Naval Medical Forces Pacific’s (NMFP) annual process improvement essay competition, Jan. 22.
The Captain Cheryl C. Ringer Memorial Award recognizes continuous process improvement (CPI) projects with measurable impact and sustainable benefits within the NMFP region that enhance delivery of patient care, streamline administrative support processes, and improve the quality of all health care services.
Johnson, who works at Naval Medical Center San Diego, focused on the fundamentals for the topic of his award-winning essay, “Excellence in the Basics.” His premise was sometimes, the simplest ideas can be the best.
In his essay, Johnson highlighted a CPI project he and his team championed to improve patient safety in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suite by establishing an “MRI Time Out.”
In health care high reliability organizations (HRO), a “time-out” occurs right before a medical procedure begins to ensure all patient safety protocols are in place. The time-out is called by a member of the team and involves everyone going over a checklist to verify the patient’s identity, the planned procedure, any medication allergies, and the correct procedure site, among other things. During the time-out, all other activity stops so the team can focus on patient safety.
As an anesthesiologist, Johnson routinely provides support for pediatric patients having an MRI procedure performed under anesthesia and he recognized an opportunity to enhance safety practices in the MRI suite.
“The MRI suite has the potential to be one of the most dangerous locations in the hospital,” wrote Johnson. “With the powerful magnet, the high decibel acoustic noise, and the restricted access during a medical emergency...all hospital staff must be vigilant with meticulous attention to patient safety protocols.”
That’s where the time-out comes in. Johnson knew the HRO concept was standard practice in other areas of the hospital, such as before a surgery, and could easily be adapted to the MRI suite.
Working with the radiology department, Johnson initiated the CPI project and developed a script for the time-out protocol and created a large poster board that spelled out all the vital patient safety steps and the role of the team members. The poster was mounted on the wall where it would be readily visible to teams before starting procedures.
According to Johnson, the time-out protocol resulted in excellent compliance and zero MRI-related infractions during the project’s three-month observation period. This notable achievement shows that simple ideas can have big impacts.
“Lt. Johnson is a busy anesthesia resident,” said Cmdr. Carol Zwieback, NMFP’s director of process of improvement. “He nimbly applied CPI to a complex problem, not as an academic requirement but because he has a genuine desire to improve patient safety across the organization.”
Due to public health measures in place for the pandemic, Johnson was notified that he won the competition by a surprise video chat from Rear Adm. Tim Weber, NMFP’s commander.
“Capt. Cheryl Ringer was on the cutting edge of moving high reliability and continuous process improvement forward throughout the region,” Weber told Johnson during the call. “We created this award as a lasting memorial to her, for recognizing the best of the best. After looking at your project, there was none better to give this award to, and there were a lot of phenomenal submissions. You showed that a simple idea, effective in one area, could be adopted in another to make a huge difference.”
Weber also told Johnson that he expected him to continue leading the way forward and mentoring others in “the art of the possible.”
Naval Medical Forces Pacific (NMFP) provides oversight for 11 Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Commands (NMRTC), on the West Coast and Pacific Rim that train, man, and equip medical forces, primarily in military treatment facilities. Globally, NMFP oversees eight research laboratories that deliver research expertise in support of warfighter health and readiness.
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 01.29.2021 19:32 |
| Story ID: | 387987 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 494 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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