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SAFETY
Dennis Sewchuk, Jr., MS, RN, CNOR, BC
Crown a Safety Champion
Ensure that protocols are followed and patients are protected.
T
ry as you might, you can't be everywhere during every minute
of every day. That's why a dedicated safety champion should
be your eyes and ears at the front line, watching and listening
for safety breaches that need to be corrected, and taking ownership in
improving the patient care you provide. Here are 5 ways to make a
safety champion work at your facility.
1
Recognize the need
No one cares more about patient safety than the operating
room staff, but each of their many responsibilities offers potential
for error and patient injury. Combine their minute-to-minute duties
with overarching departmental safety issues, facility policies,
changes to standards of care, regulatory mandates and, well, it's a
lot for staff to juggle. But mishaps occur when staff lose focus on
big-picture precautions and the importance of constant vigilance in
protecting patients. A safety champion dedicates a portion of her
workday to ensuring staff don't lose sight of the big issues and little
details that drive proper bedside actions.
2
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Select the right person
The ideal candidate must be tactfully assertive to interact conO U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | M A R C H 2013
