The MHA released a new episode of the MiCare Champion Cast during Patient Safety Awareness Week to uplift why hospitals should prioritize submitting adverse event data, in addition to what can be done to improve the culture around reporting. The episode features Nadine Post, MSN, RN, manager of Quality and Patient Safety at MyMichigan Health, and Nicole Stefan, CNMT, MBA, CPPS, CPHRM, manager of Risk Management at Trinity Health Livonia.
Data is critical for advancing healthcare safety. With this in mind, the MHA Keystone Center Patient Safety Organization (PSO) collects data every day from hospitals and health systems throughout Michigan. The team assembled in June 2023 the Adverse Events Review Committee (AERC) to review adverse events and identify the root cause of medical errors. In addition to providing guidance to hospitals on a case-by-case basis, the committee aims to establish standardized practices and proactive solutions to prevent staff and patient harm.
“Data is knowledge,” said Stefan. “It allows us to see where we’re vulnerable, benchmark and prioritize what we need to work on.”
Organizational culture can often be a barrier for incident reporting. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, studies of hospital-based healthcare workers found that those who perceived that their institution had a strong commitment to safety were much more likely to be compliant with standard precautions than those who did not.
“One of the components of building a culture of safety is having leaders at unit levels being active listeners so that frontline employees understand that they have executive support,” said Post, who serves as co-chair of the committee. “Psychological safety is so important,” Stefan added. “If they [frontline staff] feel safe, they will take the time to report – they will feel comfortable to.”
Those interested in the MHA Keystone Center PSO or the AERC should contact the MHA Keystone Center. Current PSO members are also encouraged to submit nominations for the quarterly Speak-up! Award to acknowledge the efforts of individuals or teams who are preventing harm to patients or fellow staff members.
The episode is available to stream on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud. Questions or idea submissions for future MiCare Champion Cast episodes can be sent to Lucy Ciaramitaro at the MHA.