Serious safety events: Getting to Zero™.

To advance the goal of Getting to Zero and eliminating preventable harm, ASHRM is providing guidance for defining, investigating, and measuring serious safety events. The first step in this process is the recommendation for a common and standardized definition. A common definition for a serious safety event facilitates timely detection, rapid action, and future prevention. This paper outlines that definition, provides a skill-based model for investigation, and explains a clear plan for how to conduct the investigation. A measurement system is described to determine the frequency of SSEs and comparison methods to determine events prevented, potential lives saved, and methods to demonstrate financial loss control. These methods and approach are consistent with ASHRM's core values and mission, which is safe and trusted healthcare.

The changing face of healthcare.

There seems to be a theme in many publications, books, and media channels lately, and that theme is change. There are changes in global markets, economic factors, and healthcare reform, to name a few, and change.gov is a government Web site. Much discussion has taken place in the past year or so about embracing change, leading change, and overcoming change through resilience. As I look forward into 2012, I am indeed thinking about change.

Using Web-based simulation learning to deal with shoulder dystocia.

Simulation-based learning can provide education and training to individuals in a variety of industries. The military, aviation and nuclear power industries have seen demonstrable improvement in critical event handling through the use of this type of learning when coupled with crew resource management techniques. Simulation training is also emerging in the healthcare field as an effective patient safety and risk management tool. In the area of obstetrics, healthcare risk managers can have an impact on injury and claim reduction rates related to shoulder dystocia by advocating for and implementing simulation training for obstetrical providers. This article will describe a shoulder dystocia simulation training program that uses a high-fidelity mannequin, and illustrate the impact that the healthcare risk manager can have in reducing injuries due to shoulder dystocia.