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1 1 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A R C H 2 0 2 0
Have a plan in place when gath-
ering staff to discuss safety-
related matters. Check your
incident reports to look for
trends or commonly occurring
events you feel need to be
addressed. Focus on one topic
or event per meeting so there's
ample time for learning and dis-
cussion. Have the staff involved
in a specific incident present to the rest of the team. During the
meeting, follow this basic format:
• Present a brief patient history. Establish the patient's ASA
rating, comorbidities and other relevant details of their physical
status.
• Discuss the event. The staff who worked the procedure have a
firsthand account of the events and background knowledge of the
process breakdown that occurred. They should outline how the
case proceeded and the events that ultimately led to the error.
• Review relevant policies. Talk about the protocols you cur-
rently have in place that could have prevented the error from
happening. If your facility's protocols stopped an error from caus-
ing patient harm, highlight that success.
• Touch on process improvements. This is perhaps the most
important part of the meeting. Discuss adding new protocols that will
enhance patient safety. Ask the staff members who are presenting to
share relevant research that supports the protocols you want to put
MEETING PLANNER
Stick to a Specific Safety Agenda
• TIME WELL SPENT Set aside a half hour to discuss
safety-related incidents that need to be addressed.
