Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/1284536
Staff can still report work-related issues or concerns through the organization's online safety monitoring sys- tem. The electronic reports are routed to risk manage- ment and, depending on the issues involved, sent to the director of operations or the nurse manager. "After staff members submit reports, they get consistent updates about how the issues are being resolved," says Ms. Wellott. "They see their concerns are being heard and taken seriously." OSM 3 4 • 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 • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0 HONORABLE MENTION Helping Staff Feel Safe and Secure Surgical professionals often arrive early and stay late, and most don't feel comfortable walking a long distance in the dark to get to and from their cars. It might sound simple, but offering close, secure parking for employees shows you care about their well-being. "We designated staff parking spots just 20 yards from the building," says Bill Willis, RN, clinical director at Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls, S.D. "Each employee must enter their own unique code into the keypad to enter through the back door. Any vendor who needs access to the building before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. also has their own code. That way we can keep track of who's coming in and out of the building. We also have security cameras that are always on and recording, even overnight." The two operating rooms in the ophthalmic surgery center were already equipped with auto- matic doors, but Mr. Willis decided to go even further to increase employee safety. He had remote controlled automatic doors installed in the pre- and post-op areas. Staff have access to 10 different remotes to operate all four doors with just the tap of a button. They no longer have to hold doors open or worry about a patient falling and pulling them down. The surgery center believes focusing on the well-being of its staff positively impacts the way they treat patients. "If team members have a great place to work, they're going to provide great patient care," says Mr. Willis. — Danielle Bouchat-Friedman EASY ENTRY Newly automatic doors in the pre- and post-op areas are operated by remote control, so employees no longer have to worry about holding the doors open. Bill Willis, RN EMPLOYEE SAFETY STRENGTH IN NUMBERS The facility is located close to a busy train station and advocates that staff use the buddy system when leaving the building late at night. Wendy Wellott, RN