Advancing Patient Safety with Communication and Resolution Programs By Felicidad Smith, Communication and Resolution Program Manager at FHCQ Medical errors, or adverse events that occur unintentionally in healthcare institutions, are more common than the public may realize. Factors such as miscommunication, missed/delayed diagnosis, inadequate monitoring or follow-up, technical errors, and systems failures are some of...

By Ilene Corina, BCPA | Pulse Center for Patient Safety Education & Advocacy Sitting with a patient at her bedside waiting for her operation, I watched the nurses scramble around to each patient preparing each of them for surgery. They took blood pressure and asked questions and some were speaking softly, helping them each to...

by: Anita Sulaiman | Principal Consultant and Executive Coach at IBEX Consulting What does every one of us need – regardless of age, race, gender, religion or nationality? Healthcare. One of the biggest and most enduring challenges in healthcare is the issue of provider stigma and bias, and their impact on patient outcomes. We all...

by: Dr. Kent Hu, MD | Associate Medical Director, The Everett Clinic The COVID-19 pandemic transformed our world, and with it our way of caring for patients. The Everett Clinic seized this crisis to challenge old assumptions and develop new models of care. When the first COVID-19 positive patient arrived on our doorstep on Feb....

by: Karlee Prince | Washington Patient Safety Coalition Intern, University of Washington Senior The Washington Patient Safety Coalition had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Paul Sharek, the Vice President, Chief Quality and Safety Officer and Interim Chief Medical Officer (Quality/Safety) at Seattle Children’s Hospital in Seattle, Washington. Paul is well versed in Quality Improvement...

by Dr. Walter Reichman | Partner and Vice President of Org Vitality Health professionals, even in ordinary times, juggle caring for a range of people, including their patients, their patients’ families, their colleagues and their own families and loved ones. This is stress-inducing in normal times, and of course, we are in anything but normal times....

by Gloria Brigham, EdD, MN, RN | WSNA Director of Nursing Practice   In early March, a frightened nurse reported that she knew she had been exposed to COVID-19 during her shift and was checking into a hotel to avoid exposing her young children and husband. Later, food and clothes were dropped off at her...

by Elena Madrid | Executive Vice President for Regulatory Affairs, Washington Health Care Association The Washington Health Care Association (WHCA) is a statewide non-profit organization representing over 500 assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. WHCA’s mission is to promote quality long term and post-acute health care and services, while serving as an advocate for providers, staff,...

by Tosha Mackness | Clinical Director of Quality Initiatives, Clinical Director for Port Angeles, Northwest Kidney Centers  As I prepare for what 2020 holds, I’d like to take some time to reflect on what has just passed. December is my favorite time of year, not due to the holiday cheer, the food, the tree, the...