High Reliability Healthcare: Applying CRM to High-Performing Teams

By Steve Kreiser, CDR, USN Ret., MBA, MSM

In 2006, Lauren Wargo, a 19-year-old from Shaker Heights, Ohio, went to an outpatient surgical center where a plastic surgeon was going to remove a mole from her eyebrow. The oxygen used during her surgery and an electrical device used to seal blood vessels combined to create a flash flame that left her face, neck, and ear badly burned. Four years later, the 23-year-old still has to wear make-up to cover the scars on her face and is unable to completely close one eyelid.

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American College of Surgeons Announces Goal to Enlist 1,000 Hospitals to its National Surgical Quality Improvement Program

CHICAGO (July 18, 2011) – The American College of Surgeons (ACS) today announced its goal to enlist at least 1,000 hospitals into its respected National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®). The commitment is part of the ACS Inspiring Quality initiative launched today, an effort to raise awareness of proven models of quality improvement, coordinated care and disease management that can help improve the quality and value of health care.

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Forever Changed: Shared Learning in Patient Safety

In an effort to promote patient safety, Baptist Health South Florida (Baptist Health) has instituted the Shared Learning process, the purpose of which is to educate and communicate with all stakeholders—our clinical staff, the Quality and Patient Safety Steering Council, and board members—in a proactive way.

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Editor’s Note: Training Options

Effective training is crucial for safety improvement, and there is a wide range of programs and approaches available for healthcare. I’ve had the opportunity recently to reflect on three in particular: train-the-trainer, TeamSTEPPS, and Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulation (VEILS®).

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ARQH: What Is Your Organization’s Patient Safety Culture?

ARQH

What Is Your Organization’s Patient Safety Culture?

Ask any frontline clinician or healthcare support staff if they can identify the components that make up a “culture of patient safety,” and you might get a vague answer in response. But ask those same health providers if they feel they can speak up to report patient safety concerns without fearing retribution, and you’re likely to get very specific responses.

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