SPS Talk

In this 8-minute podcast, Dr. Diane Heatley, a pediatric otolaryngologist and the Medical Director of UW Health - American Family Children’s Hospital, shares that by the time her hospital within a system was a year into their SPS journey, it became clear that they wouldn’t be successful with their HAC work unless they also started to get a handle on their culture.

Her team attended error prevention training and reassembled the SPS course into something that they thought would resonate at home. As a result of focus group feedback, the hospital asked physicians to co-lead the course and found all of the hospital’s physicians were supportive of the concept of working on the hospital’s safety culture. Not only was it easy for the hospital to find willing and interested individuals, involving physicians in the training made the safety message so much stronger.

If you missed our previously-shared podcast with Dr. Joan Shook, we encourage you to listen to it today. During the 4-minute podcast, Dr. Shook discussed how the role of the physician at her institution has evolved over time as her institution’s involvement in SPS has changed. Physicians are now teaching physicians and engaging them in the very important work of safety.

Texas Children’s Hospital has made tremendous progress in patient safety. Dr. Shook highlighted that her hospital absolutely could not have done this without the engagement of the medical staff at her hospital.

In this 7-minute podcast, Dr. Anu Subramony, the Chief Quality Officer for Cohen Children’s Medical Center of NY and Vice President for Quality and Safety for Pediatric Services at Northwell Health, shares how in her role she has had the greatest opportunity to listen to frontline staff when they are most vulnerable, when they are describing the events around a deviation or safety event that they were involved in. Dr. Anu Subramony quoted, “These conversations are extremely raw and revealing.”

When a safety event has occurred, obtaining the facts—via a debrief or series of one-on-one interviews—and understanding the scenario is paramount to crafting corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence. On the podcast, Dr. Subramony highlights key methods she uses at her hospital to conduct effective debriefs that destress the discussions and prepare and support the staff involved. 

Dr. Subramony quoted, “As a physician lead, it is it our job not only to follow a strict RCA process and develop key corrective actions, but also to lead with the heart; be tolerant of people’s emotions, whether it is sadness, remorse or anger; be understanding; be calm; be forthright; and be honest as it relates to these conversations.”