In the continuously evolving healthcare landscape, creating a safe organization for patients and employees is critical.
QUALITY & SAFETY
The role of safety in elevating the patient & employee experience
When patients feel safe and treated in an environment that prioritizes their unique needs, it fosters trust, encourages participation in their own care, and can lead to more positive outcomes.
For employees, a safe workplace directly impacts productivity, morale, retention, personal health, and the quality of patient care.
In the continuously evolving healthcare landscape, creating a safe organization for patients and employees is critical.
When patients feel safe and treated in an environment that prioritizes their unique needs, it fosters trust, encourages participation in their own care, and can lead to more positive outcomes.
For employees, a safe workplace directly impacts productivity, morale, retention, personal health, and the quality of patient care.
What defines a “safe” organization?
Through an analysis of CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) reported averages for mortality, safety, readmission rates, patient experience, and timely and effective care, we identified behaviors and measures associated with “safe” healthcare organizations.
Within these safety groups there are 26 individual measures critical to assessing an organization’s safety performance.
By calculating the percentage of instances in which a hospital outperformed the CMS average across these measures, and contrasting it with instances of underperformance, we’ve outlined essential behaviors and practices that characterize safe organizations.
It starts with responsiveness
Our data suggests that the safest organizations are those that resolve service alerts within the critical first 24 hours.
- There is a strong (r =. 51) correlation between the percentage of pending alerts
and an orgs safety score.
- 26% of the variance in safety scores can be directly linked to the management of pending and open alerts. Even more, as the percentage of unresolved alerts increases, safety scores tend to decline sharply, underscoring the importance of prompt attention to potential safety issues.
Trust and communication are vital
Trust and effective communication between patients and providers, and between patients and nurses, play a significant role in a hospital’s safety performance.
Prioritize patients and their families
Safe organizations recognize care and compassion don’t stop with the patient but must be extended to the family and broader personal support teams as well.
Go beyond a focus on clinical roles
Recognizing the contributions of non-clinical roles in maintaining a safe environment is key.
These roles, including administrative staff, facilities maintenance, IT specialists, and many others, serve as the backbone of healthcare systems.
Employee safety can’t be overlooked
Safe organizations understand ensuring the safety of their employees is directly linked to the overall safety and quality of patient care.
When care teams feel safe and supported, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated. This positive work environment fosters a culture of trust and respect.
The power of Human Understanding®
Through intentional collaboration and a commitment to safety, hospitals and health systems can significantly enhance the quality of care and create an environment where patients and healthcare professionals feel valued and protected.