F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 3 1
• TEAM EFFORT At Houston's Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, all staff
members have a say in planning and implementing improved safety
protocols.
gical team as a whole needed to listen more intently during proce-
dures. Maybe both groups had a point.
Efforts to change our safety culture began by bridging the communi-
cation gap between surgeons and other staff members. Leadership
from all levels — nursing, physicians and administration — was com-
mitted to the initiative. We divided surgeons and surgical team mem-
bers into several small groups, being mindful to have someone from
each discipline in every group. They sat and shared their perspectives
on patient care, voiced complaints about how things were currently
working and shared solutions for improving surgical safety. The face-
to-face discussions broke down barriers by giving everyone the oppor-
Surgeons take the lead
in running rooms, but their
voices aren't the only ones
that are heard.
