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SAFETY
SPEECH THERAPY Teach
members of the surgical team to
communicate with one another
during high-stress situations.
Speak Up for Surgical Safety
It's the difficult conversations that help protect patients.
H
ow do you get staff members and physicians with various personalities, outside influences and clinical focuses to communi-
cate effectively in the OR so everyone works toward a common goal:
excellent and safe patient outcomes? By teaching them how to have
difficult conversations during the high-stress situations that arise in
surgery's pressure cooker.
Understanding the issues
Here at Saint Francis, we worked from the comprehensive AORNWorld Health Organization surgical safety checklist and consulted
with a behavioral psychologist to identify communication needs with1 3 8 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E | A P R I L 2 013
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center
Scott Ellner, DO, MPH, FACS
