Best practices

• Pairing a nurse with a buddy to help with patient response
• Designating backups to the buddies
• Communicating with the appropriate nurse the patient’s needs

What can your team do to allocate staff time and attention effectively and strategically? 

• Creating a daily stretching routine, and discussing work safety on a regular basis
• Discussing proper lifting and pushing techniques, and also the proper use of equipment
• Posting safe-driving and other safety awareness tips, and highlighting the number of injury-free days

What can your team do to reduce injuries and keep one another safe on the job? 

• Identifying workplace hazards
• Encouraging discussions about safety
• Promoting safety awareness programs or initiatives

What can your team do prevent injuries before they happen? 

• Identifying asthmatic patients, who haven’t processed refills
• Contacting in groups of five each week until every patient has been reached
• Communicating the benefits of inhaled corticosteroids

What can your team do to proactively reach out to patients to help them manage their chronic conditions? 

• Setting up designated bins in operating rooms for blue wrap recycling
• Educating staff about the dos and don’ts of the bins, such as no infectious or solid waste
• Coordinating with a local charity such as Goodwill to help with processing

What can your team do to "go green"? What else could your team do to reduce waste?

• Identifying persistent asthmatics, instead of waiting to follow up on ER visits
• Discussing with patients and parents how to avoid flare-ups
• Educating about the proper use of their medication to control the disease

 What can your team do to harness KP's unique tools to enhance preventive care? And  what can your team do to help patients better understand their care? 

• Correcting wrong numbers in the Patient Member Handbook
• Handling calls directly instead of routing to call center, adding voice mail and returning messages hourly
• Wearing wireless headsets to take calls remotely

What can your team do to look at its work through the eyes of the patient? 

• Instituting a regular nap time, testing both 1-3 p.m. and 2-4 p.m. slots
• Communicating to staff and families about nap time, to be quiet and posting alerts
• Coordinating with other departments to see if adjustments to time period are needed

What can your team do to try out different potiential solutions without being afraid of failure? 

• Standardizing pain medication schedules, and include follow-up calls after discharge
• Reassessing patient and communicating with her when next med is scheduled
• Reinforcing the idea that “every patient is my patient” and have "no-pass" policy

What can your team do to to put the patient at the center?