Constructive
communication
UPMC uses a combination of the policies and proce-
dures created by recommending bodies such as the
PSA, the World Health Organization and The Joint
Commission. On top of staying up to date on the
newest safety recommendations,
Ms. Sebastian's facilities imple-
ment their own safety measures,
such as the condition stop, which
is practiced throughout the entire
UPMC network.
Staff engagement extends
beyond clinical members to
involve the risk management and
legal departments at UPMC. The
risk management staff stays in
close contact with PSA. Safety
liaisons have held in-services,
which are mandatory for operat-
ing room staff. Officials from the
legal department also periodically
in-service staff on consents and
Ms. Sebastian's team interacts fre-
quently with the PSA.
The PSA's structure as a non-
regulatory body, detached from
the state department of health,
allows it to work with facilities on
constructive solutions to safety-
related issues without the underly-
ing threat of citation. This arrange-
ment lets PSA maintain confidentiality and work
directly with facilities to improve patient care. Ms.
Sebastian believes the mandatory reporting of safe-
ty incidents in Pennsylvania opens up the lines of
communication among facilities, and eliminates the
danger of maintaining a sense of secrecy about
what happens in the OR.
"Surgical professionals want to do the right
thing," says Mr. Yonash. "We want to keep patients
safe. Honest communication plays a big part in this.
We want everyone to work together and to speak
up if something doesn't look right."
Teamwork, transparency, continued education
and staff support have created an excellent environ-
ment of safety at UPMC Horizon and Jameson, one
to be modeled by other facilities looking to improve
practices that prevent wrong-site surgery. "Provide a
lot of support and education for your staff," says Ms.
Sebastian. "It takes time to make change happen.
Stay the course — it won't happen overnight."
OSM
J
A N U A R Y 2 0 2 1 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 3 1
DOUBLE TAKE Surgical team members at UPMC huddle each morning to preview the
day's case schedule and highlight patients with similar-sounding names.
UPMC
Jameson
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