How does your organization celebrate retirement? It's not a typical interview question, but perhaps it should be: How we treat the people who have given years of their lives to the organization speaks volumes about how we value everyone else. 

Today's episode is half-podcast, half-tribute to Sostenes the lab director -- because listening to people speak about his life at retirement made me want to live mine better.

Key Points:

-Just another party?

-Getting rid of the "old guard"

-Building a legacy

Support the show

For more information, visit PorterQI.com, or email [email protected].

How can we care for strangers if we do not care for each other? This episode looks at some of the best and worst charitable policies in the workplace and examines how safety culture can be elevated and restored during difficult times.

Key Points:

-Mandatory charity

-Acceptable charity lists

-Service awards and fundraisers

Support the show

For more information, visit PorterQI.com, or email [email protected].

How much do you trust your coworkers to watch your patients during lunch?

This question is an often overlooked key indicator of safety culture. Nurses are possessive of "their" patients and this episode explores reasons and symptoms of lunch breaks that are not covered.

Key Points:

-Critical debriefing

-Trusting your team

-What makes a "good" team?

Support the show

For more information, visit PorterQI.com, or email [email protected].

Do you ever hear coworkers say, "Someone should fix that"? Have you ever wished Marie Kondo would come to your healthcare facility and tidy up? This episode looks at the physical environment as a sign of safety culture.

Key Points:

-The Van Halen Effect

-The Psychology of your workspace

-Someone should fix that

References:

-Ozden, E. (Sept. 28, 2021). The Reason Behind David Lee Roth’s Brown M&Ms Request for Live Shows. Rock Celebrities. https://rockcelebrities.net/the-reason-behind-david-lee-roths-brown-mms-request-for-live-shows.

-Vanbuskirk, S. (April 3, 2023). The Mental Health Benefits of Making Your Bed. VeryWell Health. https://www.verywellmind.com/mental-health-benefits-of-making-your-bed-5093540.

Support the show

For more information, visit PorterQI.com, or email [email protected].

What is the intersection between safety and security? This episode shares some of my adventures at the bedside and explores opportunities to strengthen safety culture with best practices in security.

Key Points:

-Violence is prevalent

-TJC on violence in healthcare

-Safety and Security

References:

-The Joint Commission (May 15, 2024). 2023 Sentinel Event Data Annual Report. https://www.jointcommission.org/resources/news-and-multimedia/newsletters/newsletters/joint-commission-online/may-15-2024/now-available-2023-sentinel-event-data-annual-report.

-Markovitz, S.; Grimes, C. (Sept. 1, 2022). Violence Against Healthcare Workers Is At An All-Time High: Here’s How Workplaces Can Keep Them Safe. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/coronavirusfrontlines/2022/09/01/violence-against-healthcare-workers-is-at-an-all-time-high-heres-how-workplaces-can-keep-them-safe/.

Support the show

For more information, visit PorterQI.com, or email [email protected].

Everyone wants to believe that we treat our patients like family. But is it possible to prove it? Today's episode provides a quick auditing method to identify whether you have a family-friendly organization.

Key Points:

-Family Support Systems

-Humanizing Healthcare

-Family Furnishings

References:

-Goldfarb, MJ; Bibas, L; Bartlett, V; Jones, H; Khan, N (Oct. 2017). Outcomes of Patient- and Family-Centered Care Interventions in the ICU: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Critical Care Medicine 45(10): 1751-1761. DOI: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000002624.

Support the show

For more information, visit PorterQI.com, or email [email protected].

Efficient throughput and end of life care work at opposite ends of the spectrum. How does your end of life care reflect your safety culture? Today's episode explores ways to track the quality of end of life care and assess your facility's safety culture in the process.

Key Points:

-End of life care and the culture of safety

-When it takes too long to die

-Assessing quality and procedures

Support the show

For more information, visit PorterQI.com, or email [email protected].

How should we respond to voluntary reporting? What can we do when our scientific approach to the study of errors becomes as dehumanizing as the culture that caused the error? This episode discusses non-mandatory reporting by turning the lens of safety culture onto the safety department itself.

Key Points:

-Why reporting happens

-Troublemakers and safety culture

-The best weapon against never-events

Support the show

For more information, visit PorterQI.com, or email [email protected].

Have you ever questioned the credibility of your safety culture survey? So many safety culture assessments describe vague things to avoid, but how can you tell if you have it? This season, we're sharing the Top 10 Signs that your healthcare organization has a solid safety culture.

Key Points:

-What is "good" healthcare?

-Virtue and ethics in safety culture

-Introducing the Top 10 Signs

References:

Norwood, Arlisha (2017). "Dorothea Dix." National Women's History Museum. Accessed October 2, 2024 from https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/dorothea-dix.

Support the show

For more information, visit PorterQI.com, or email [email protected].

As the holidays approach, I'm revisiting the subject of what matters most to patients. This episode discusses the discharge process, length of stay, and outcome metrics that can serve as a compass for other quality measures.
Key Points:
-Universal needs
-Critical questions
-What if?

Support the show

For more information, visit PorterQI.com, or email [email protected].