Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
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5 8 O U T P A T 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 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 O R E X C E L L E N C E AWA R D S O R E X C E L L E N C E AWA R D S Anesthesiologist Gregory Porter, MD, is a safety freak (his words) perhaps because he moonlights as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic when he's not serving as the medical director of the Sierra Ambulatory Surgery Center in Auburn, Calif. It's his 22-year career in emergency response training that lets Dr. Porter always see the big picture of patient safety. "There's a calmness, because you're above the chaos," he says, referring to what he's learned from arriving first at house fires and car accidents. "You step back to assess the situation before you step forward." He says a culture of safety needs to be developed within facilities from the top down. "If you practice it, if you believe in it, your employees will follow," says Dr. Porter, who suggests getting anesthesiologists involved in your patient safety efforts, because that's their primary focus on a daily basis. Says Dr. Porter, "They're not utilized enough in help- ing to conduct and schedule in-services and educate every member of the staff, from the business office to the OR, about best practices in patient safety." Engage staff with real-life scenarios, recommends Dr. Porter. Make them fun, interest- ing and interactive. Staff members often think patients won't be jeopardized on their watch, so safety drills have to be relevant and believable, says Dr. Porter. "If you have an experience or story that you can share from an event you've faced, the lesson will hit home," he explains. Always open the conversation up to other staff members, because you all come from different backgrounds and have various experiences that can bring valuable insights to the discussion. Above all, be vigilant on daily basis for unexpected events, says Dr. Porter. "You have to realize that things do happen, and the more ready you are for them the bet- ter the chance of having a good outcome." — Daniel Cook S I E R R A A M B U L A T O R Y S U R G E R Y C E N T E R 'Safety Freak' Leads By Example z ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS Staff respond well to drills that are interactive, realistic and relevant. Gregory Porter, MD