Patient Safety

• Keeping gurneys and equipment where they are needed, and having staff speak with patients during transport
• Cleaning and making the gurneys with sheets and blankets before they are needed
• Designating a staff member to ensure equipment is placed where needed

What can your team do to make the best use of your "down time"?

• Identifying which tests oncology patients actually need
• Creating and issuing a "golden ticket" to get patients to the front of the line
• Fast tracking the processing of labs before seeing the doctor

What can your team do to adjust your workflow in a way that puts the patient at the center?

• Using key phrases in malnutrition assessment to catch the attention of physicians
• Bolding their recommendations in notes to doctors
• Speaking directly to physicians about potentially malnourished patients

What can your team do to improve cooperation between physicians and other members of the care team?

• Using an evaluation checklist to determine whether the catheter is medically necessary and properly secured
• Re-educating registered nurses and certified nursing assistants on catheter use and how to minimize factors that cause bladder infections
• Encouraging physicians to refrain from administering a catheter when it wasn’t necessary and to take catheters out at the earliest opportunity

What can your team do to encourage each other to examine procedures and alter if necessary?

• Speaking up immediately and “stopping the line” if a radiologic technologist encounters any deviation from workflow or a risk to patient safety.
• Filling out a simple, accessible form which the UBT then uses to address the issue that arose.

What can your team do to create a culture of Speaking Up in your department? What else could your team do to ensure follow up after a safety incident?

• Creating a wait list for patients who need to schedule surgeries
• Assigning a full-time employee to manage the wait list
• Using openings in the schedule to squeeze in emergency patients

What can your team do to improve patient satisfaction and efficiencies in your department? What else could your team do to relieve scheduling backlogs?