Creative Learning Techniques Promote Culture of Patient Safety

Photo By Dawn Grimes | The "Room of Errors" is an interactive tool that engages, educates and equips staff with heightened awareness to errors that, in a real situation, could cause patient harm.  

CUBA

03.15.2022

Story by Dawn Grimes 

Navy Medicine and Readiness Training Command Guantanamo Bay

During this year's Patient Safety Awareness week, the Patient Safety team at US Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command, Guantanamo Bay (US NMRTC GB) is reinforcing the hospital's culture of safety through interactive learning aligned with this year's theme, "Standardizing Safety Solutions: United for Optimized Care."

The 'Room of Errors', designed and developed by Patient Safety Manager, Ms. Stephanie Bryant, is one of the team's creative approaches to learning.

"The goal is to get staff thinking more about reducing medical errors." Bryant said. "The 'Room of Errors' ties into our culture of safety by engaging, educating and equipping staff with the knowledge of potential medical errors." Bryant explained. "Participants are invited to identify simulated medical errors that, if unidentified, would have the potential to cause harm to a patient in an actual setting."

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Aubry Grubbs, Multi Service Ward, said the exercise is helpful even for people who are routinely responsible for patient care.

"When you're in an environment all the time you can be accustomed to it and so this exercise makes you look at the room with fresh eyes, it's a good refresher and reminder that we always need to be alert to things that could cause patient harm."

Also this week, hospital staff will join webinars being held by Military Training Facilities all over the world. The featured webinars are winners of the "2021 Ready, Reliable Care High Reliability Organization Awards," including Leadership Commitment, Culture of Safety, Continuous Process Improvement and Patient Centeredness.

The Patient Safety team also developed trivia, word games and crossword puzzles to highlight key elements and ideas in a culture of safety. In addition to sharpening skills and increasing knowledge, participants have the chance to win a Patient Safety Challenge coin, especially designed by the staff to further promote safety.

"Last year we awarded gift certificates for the people who found the most errors in the shortest time." Bryant said. "This year we wanted to do something unique that would reinforce our identity about who. We hope when people share and talk about this coin in their collection that it will say something about who we are as a hospital and our culture of safety."

The week's activities locally were planned and led by Ms. Bryant, Mr. Edwin Hanson, Quality Chief and Cmdr. Christopher Helman, Chief Medical Officer, US NMRTC GB.

• Date Taken: 03.15.2022
• Date Posted: 03.16.2022 17:14
• Story ID: 416600
• Location: CU