ical requirements specified by equipment manufacturers and regulations.
5. Standardize instructions.
Don't rely on word of mouth
when training new techs. There should be written explanations, photos
and checklists that explain what they need to do, how to set up their
workstations, how to clean instruments and how to maintain equip-
ment. Checklists in the OR improve patient safety and outcomes. The
same is true for SPD.
The waiting game
There is another waste that gets eliminated: Waiting. Nobody wants to
be in an operating room, with a patient on the table under anesthesia,
waiting for an instrument. Been there; done that; don't' like it. We
aren't being patient safety-minded and can't call ourselves patient-cen-
tered care advocates if we allow this to happen to our patients due to
an inefficient or broken process.
We all want the same thing, which is high-quality patient care. In
SPD and the OR, this can be accomplished with processes that consis-
tently provide the right instruments and equipment to the right place
in the right condition at the right time.
I know it seems overwhelming, but the results this hospital realized
can be achieved anywhere, and these 5 tips can help. As a first step,
go to where the work is being done and encourage your staff to voice
their concerns and challenges. Your staff already has the answers and
solutions you seek. Listen to them and encourage experimentation
and change. That is how you can create a culture of patient safety and
continuous improvement in a high-reliability organization.
OSM
1 0 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9
Dr. Mandel (rachelmandelmd@gmail.com), a board-certified OB-GYN, is the
senior healthcare advisor for Operational Performance Solutions (OPS), in addi-
tion to leading her own healthcare consulting company.