Patient Safety Week Activities Begin Monday

Patient Safety Week, observed March 12-18 this year, is an annual national campaign to foster education and increase awareness related to patient safety.

Far right, David J. Birnbach, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the UM-JMH Center for Patient Safety, conducts a training session.

“The most fundamental right every patient has to receive is safe and compassionate care,” said Michael E. Barron, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of UHealth. “The safety and security of knowing that their health care will be provided free of preventable harm is our highest priority. Patient Safety Week allows us to showcase many of our patient safety initiatives across the entire health system and is a reminder that everyone at UHealth has a role to play every day. We welcome the experiences and ideas of everyone as the week unfolds.”

To kick off Patient Safety Week, Melinda Sawyer, M.S.N., RN, the assistant director of patient safety at the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins University, will discuss the implementation of the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) into the UHealth system. Sawyer will explain how CUSP supports other quality and safety tools, describe the CUSP framework and the goals of the CUSP tool kit, and how to apply the CUSP tool kit in a clinical environment, and aid in a discussion of the effects of errors and patient harm and the underlying causes of error. Her presentation will take place Monday, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Berrocal Auditorium.

“Health care providers have historically entered the field due to a strong desire to make lives better,” said Myka Whitman, B.S.N., RN, interim UHealth Chief Risk Officer. “That motivation now is fundamentally tied to ensuring that, while making the lives of our patients better, we also are committed to ensuring that our system is safe and predictable for each patient. Patient safety is the foundational block in the pyramid of patient experience at UHealth. Empowering the voice of our front line providers — encouraging them to speak up and report patient safety concerns — represents the first crucial step on our path to success.”

A schedule of Monday’s Patient Safety Week activities at the Miller School and UHealth appears below. Each day has one of the National Patient Safety Goals as its theme. We will post a report of the day’s activities and a schedule of the following day’s activities each day next week.

Monday, March 13 – Daily Theme: Improve Staff Communication

8 – 10 a.m., 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., UMH Cafeteria Hallway
Patient Safety Biohazardous Waste Educational Tables

8 – 10 a.m., SCCC 1301
UMHC SCCC  Poster Presentation Display

9 a.m. – noon, BPEI Mobile Cart
BPEI Take the Pledge for Patient Safety
Patient Safety Mobile Cart

9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Coral Springs/DFB
Satellite Visits — Pizza Parties

9 a.m. – 4 p.m., PAC Conference Room 700
UMMG Patient Safety Education Booths
UMMG Employees

10 a.m. – noon, Berrocal Auditorium
CUSP Leadership Presentation
Melinda Sawyer, M.S.N., RN
Assistant Director, Patient Safety
Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

10 a.m. – 2 p.m., BPEI Lobby
BPEI Patient Safety Booth

11 a.m. – noon, UMHC Entrance
NPSG Display Table with Wheel of Fortune Game

11 a.m. – 1 p.m., UMH Hallways
UMH PNPC Patient Safety Poster Display/Contest

1 – 3 p.m., UMH Lobby
UMH  Patient Safety Communication Table

1 – 3 p.m.,  SCCC 1301
NPSG 2 Communication Giveaway (RT, Lab, Cardio Staff)

3 – 5 p.m.,  UMH
UMH NPSG Traveling Cart

Tags: patient safety week