The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Patient Safety Congress brought together voices from across the healthcare spectrum March 9 – 11, uniting leaders, learners and advocates in a shared goal of delivering safer care to all patients. Among them was Esha Elahi, government relations & public policy fellow at the MHA, who dives into what her current role has taught her, what she learned at the IHI Conference and how those experiences are setting the tone for her next chapter in healthcare.
How has your experience as a Government Relations & Public Policy Fellow at the MHA shaped the way you interpret conversations about patient safety?
Elahi: My experience as a fellow has had a huge impact on the way I interpret and engage in conversations about patient safety. At the MHA, I’ve had the privilege of engaging with health professionals from a variety of disciplines, including doctors, nurses, social workers, administrators and policy experts. Listening to these diverse perspectives exposed me to the complexity of ensuring patient safety and all that goes on behind the scenes. It’s not just about training our frontline workers. Every person within a healthcare setting plays an important role in promoting patient safety. Likewise, for change to occur within health systems, we need multiple perspectives at the table.
How did attending the IHI Patient Safety Congress deepen or expand your understanding of the policies that influence safety in care settings?
Elahi: The IHI Patient Safety Congress helped me recognize just how critical workplace culture is in healthcare and how it directly affects patient outcomes. While healthcare systems often have protocols in place to support patient safety, I started to ask myself: what happens when someone notices a safety risk but doesn’t feel supported enough to speak up?
One session that really stuck with me was “Advancing High Reliability: The Role of Psychological Safety in Supporting Cultural Change,” led by Amjed S. Baghdadi and Amanda Laorenza. It focused on the importance of psychological safety in building high-reliability organizations; workplaces where staff feel empowered to voice concerns and stop potential harm before it happens. It echoes that everyone at a hospital plays a role in patient safety, whether you are in direct contact or not.
That session made me think more deeply about what protections exist for healthcare workers who report safety or quality concerns. At the MHA, we have initiatives like the MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award, which recognizes hospitals where staff take action to prevent harm through open communication. It’s one way to reduce preventable incidents caused by miscommunication or silence.
The conversations at the Congress also reminded me of the advocacy work being done at the MHA around protecting healthcare workers, including efforts to pass legislation addressing violence in healthcare settings. Policies such as Public Acts 271 and 272 of 2023 are essential; not just for staff safety, but also for maintaining high-quality care for patients.
Were there any conversations at the congress that highlighted the intersection of policy and frontline care delivery in a way that resonated with your work?
Elahi: The session “Personal Experience to Professional Expertise: Using One Case of Maternal Morbidity for Advocacy,” led by Dr. Charity S. Watkins, resonated with the efforts I’ve been involved in at the MHA. Maternal health has been a key priority for the association. Dr. Watkins shared data on the status of maternal healthcare in the United States, which has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries and that 84% of maternal deaths in the U.S. are preventable. Black women giving birth are three to four times more likely to die while giving birth and twice more likely to experience a life-threatening medical event during childbirth. These facts underscore the importance of the work we’re doing at MHA to improve maternal health outcomes.
What advice would you give to other future providers about understanding the policy side of patient care?
Elahi: Whether you’ve worked in the advocacy-space before or this type of work is brand new to you, understanding the impact of policy on your practice, medicine and on patient care is crucial. If there’s an issue or topic within medicine you’re passionate about changing or improving, there’s a chance there’s some type of policy in motion. Getting involved in public policy and advocacy efforts can seem quite daunting, but you might be surprised at how natural it comes to you. Physicians are naturally inclined with a mindset of service. Scaling this up by sharing your personal stories with stakeholder groups or lawmakers to improve policy is an amazing way to service future patients and community members.