Association between safety culture and surgical outcomes
Editor's Note In this study, implementing a global change in safety culture resulted in a significant change in surgical patient outcomes as measured by the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). After implementation of initiatives targeting communication and patient safety, surgical outcomes and culture scores…
Bullying: From conflict to confrontation to civility in the OR--Part 2
Kermit the frog famously said, “it’s not easy being green.” He longed to be some other color, and OR leaders faced with managing a bully have probably wished they, too, could be someone—or somewhere—else. Using some recommended approaches can help. In Part 2 of this three-part series on bullying, OR…
Bullying: From conflict to confrontation to civility in the OR--Part 1
Nurse bullying is a hot issue, even in the lay press—consider the 2015 Marie Claire article, “Mean Girls of the ER: The Alarming Nurse Culture of Bullying and Hazing.” Numbers vary, but the American Nurses Association reports that between 18% and 31% of nurses have experienced bullying at work. The…
Peer initiative cultivates a better OR culture
The following “success story” describes the PEER initiative at Geisinger Medical Center, which has involved staff in making decisions to improve processes and communication. OR Manager periodically publishes success stories like this from nurse leaders or other healthcare providers who want to share their experience with our readers. Recent examples…
Just culture creates a safe, positive environment
Just culture has become a bit of a buzzword, so it’s worth revisiting what the term truly means and how it can be implemented and sustained. Although it’s a powerful tool for improving patient safety, just culture is effective only when leaders set expectations for processes and behavior, and address…
Perception of OR safety of surgical practice linked to postop mortality
Editor's Note The perception of safety of surgical practice among OR personnel was associated with hospital level 30-day postoperative patient mortality rates in this study. As part of the Safe Surgery 2015: South Carolina initiative, a baseline survey measuring perception of safety of surgical practice among OR personnel was completed.…
Employee engagement: The path to better patient care--Part 2
Nurse engagement and leadership development were among the top concerns cited in a recent survey of healthcare leaders who reflected on challenges in nursing. To engage the nurse workforce, leaders themselves must be engaged, perioperative services leaders recently told OR Manager. In part 1 of this two-part series, they discussed…
Joint Commission issues new alert on safety culture
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 1 issued a new Sentinel Event Alert on “The essential role of leadership in developing a safety culture.” Leadership’s failure to create an effective safety culture is contributing to adverse events such as wrong-site surgery and delays in treatment, the Joint Commission says.…
Military leadership principles point way to better patient care
Physicians receive little leadership training in medical school, so they don’t always perform well in leadership roles. At Florida Hospital Orlando, that education gap is being filled through the Physician Leader Development (PLD) program, which applies military leadership principles to the healthcare setting. The innovative course has benefited not only…
Targeted communication training raises hospital safety culture scores
Implementation of crew resource management training at a large academic medical center led to statistically significant improvements in 10 out of 12 dimensions of safety culture, according to surveys conducted before and after training took place. Crew resource management (CRM) is a systematic approach adapted from the airline industry to…
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