Main Line Health System, Wynnewood, PA
Walk the Talk for Patient Safety: Integrating Residents in the Organization's Patient Safety Culture

Abstract

Background: Patient safety training at Main Line Health (MLH) has evolved over time. Error prevention tools now focus on verbal communication tools that enhance best safety behaviors. In addition, the CLER visit highlighted the need for medical residents at MLH to both learn and to become integrated in the culture of patient safety.

Methods: MLH created an event called Walk the Talk for Patient Safety. Residents were invited to staff the booths at the event at our major teaching hospital, Lankenau Medical Center. The error-prevention tools we used included STAR (Stop-Think-Act-Review), SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation), ARCC (Ask a question–make a Request–voice a Concern), Stop the Line, Got your Back, and 3-way repeat-back and read-back. This activity was designed to create visibility for residents as active participants in patient safety leadership while compelling residents to become completely familiar with the language of patient safety and the MLH patient safety structure. Residents were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire to assess knowledge about patient safety and opinions about Walk the Talk for Patient Safety before and after the event.

Results: Staffing the booths provided an opportunity for residents to teach other residents and attendees about error reporting processes and procedures. After implementing Walk the Talk, 88.2% of resident respondents could name 3 error prevention tools used at MLH compared with 62.7% before implementation (P=0.002). Before Walk the Talk, 43.5% of residents (P<0.0001) disagreed with the statement “I feel confident that I know what the MLH error prevention tools are” compared to 8.9% after. The number of residents who strongly agreed that Walk the Talk is a good way to learn about patient safety tools increased from 28% prior to the event to 48.5% after the event (P<0.013).

Conclusions: Taking a leadership role in Walk the Talk for Patient Safety led to increased knowledge of patient safety topics and demonstrated that residents are involved in the patient safety culture of MLH.