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A
nesthes-
iologist
Kenneth
P.
Rothfield, MD, MBA,
CPPS, can hardly
wait to hand $500 to
a housekeeper who
tells a doctor, "You forgot to wash your hands." Some context: He's
referring to a patient-safety award his employer started in 2015. The
award grew out of a workplace culture designed to empower and
encourage every team member — from the newly hired housekeeper
to the longest-tenured surgeon — to speak up if they see something
that might contribute to an adverse patient outcome.
Dr. Rothfield points to one statistic as proof that every healthcare
organization needs to make the prevention of avoidable errors "not
only a priority but the priority": As many as 250,000 Americans die
each year as a result of medical errors — the third leading cause of
death in the United States, behind only heart disease and cancer,
according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But
how do you go from prioritizing safety to creating a culture? It begins
SURGICAL
ERRORS
Safety Starts at the Top
Leadership is the
first key to error
prevention.
Bill Donahue
Senior Editor
• LOOKING UP Your OR staff will see
how your facility's leaders prioritize
patient safety and follow their example.
