Leamington hospital adopts patient-safety philosophy
Staff education, new equipment, streamlined systems aim to improve safety for patients
Friday November 7, 2008 -- Natalie Miller
With patient safety champions wearing prominent badges and managers hitting the front lines weekly, Leamington District Memorial Hospital is "walking the talk" in an effort to build a better culture.

Prodded by the results of a 2005 staff survey that suggested serious work was needed to improve the patient-safety culture at the rural, 88-bed community hospital, Leamington's senior management team put into action an eight-point patient safety plan that was adopted by the hospital's board of directors.

Barbara Tiessen, vice-president of patient services and chief nursing executive, says the hospital adopted a patient safety philosophy and made a commitment to live a culture of safety.

Patient safety became a part of general orientations and specific education sessions. The hospital held daily briefings on each clinical area at shift change. They created a patient safety champions council as a forum for front-line staff to express patient safety concerns with a representative of the senior management team.

The hospital also introduced a program aimed at reducing patient falls and partnered with the University of Windsor's school of business to implement an electronic tracking and reporting form.

The commitment to improved patient safety also involved a capital investment which included replacing commodes and installing new beds that can be risen and lowered.

In June 2007, the hospital asked staff to complete the survey again. This time, Tiessen hired someone to analyze the data, using the same survey methodology as in 2005. Management and the board expected substantial improvement in staff attitude about the patient-safety culture at the hospital.

The results weren't as positive as Tiessen had hoped for but there were minor improvements in some areas. While staff perception hadn't changed dramatically, she suspects the results may have been reflective of employee frustration with the overall healthcare picture.

"I really do believe that there has been a lot of upheaval in hospitals in the past few years."

The survey may have served as an outlet for that discontent, she explains.

However, she does see improvement today. "If I walk down the halls and ask about patient safety, people know what I'm talking about."

Data shows it takes between seven and 10 years for cultural change, she notes.

"Maybe it hasn't seeped into the culture of the organization and embedded itself yet."

Nevertheless, the hospital's efforts to improve systems, invest in better equipment and adopt new philosophies benefit the overall patient experience.

To learn more about the hospital and its philosophies, visit its website.

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