St. Louis Children’s Hospital is a member of Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS), a network of pediatric hospitals working together to eliminate serious harm. SPS identified that a safety coach program is a crucial component of the culture of safety. Any increase in patient population requires an interprofessional approach to prioritize patient safety. In this workshop we will demonstrate how a culture that prioritizes safety as the core value, can impact the care that is provided to patients. This interactive session will utilize several teaching methods including didactic, skill stations, and role playing that includes problem-solving.
Problem: St. Louis Children’s Hospital is working to eliminate patient harm. As a safety coach program (SCP) is a crucial to the culture of safety and empowers individuals to speak up for safety. An assessment of the SCP at SLCH established in 2019 showed a need for increased engagement and growth.
Measurement: Our SMART Aim for the enhancement of the SCP was to train 25 staff from three disciplines across SLCH by 12/31/23. Our Global Aim is to increase the use of error prevention tools (EPTS) and reduce serious safety events (SSEs). We used PDSAs and surveys to measure success.
Analysis: PDSA cycles were conducted for overall program enhancement. The first cycle included NICU Leadership establishing curriculum, us of error prevention tools (EPTS) and feasibility for spread. Magnet surveys were used before implementation and at 1, 3 and 6 months after training to measure NICU nurse’s response safety in the unit.
Implementation: Subsequent cycles focused on teaching methods and feedback for scenario development. Facilitators engaged needs specific to attendees’ areas of expertise and designed a process that started with frontline leader education, feedback, and buy in. EPT use and feedback are essential to ensure safety and establish effective communication.
Results/Discussion: Our goal was exceeded by training 51 staff members from seven different disciplines. We are currently expanding training to front-line staff who have been in their role for at least one year. We will measure SSE reduction, use of EPTs via audits, celebrate successes, promote and engage new coaches.
