Highly reliable behaviors.

A lack of respect between nursing and medical disciplines can lead to a lack of trust and disruptive behaviors that are a significant part of the culture of health care today. In order to ensure the best care for all patients, a systematic approach to defining desired and undesired behaviors is a place to begin. A systems view requires an appreciation of local culture and operations. Understanding the underlying root causes in different departments and specialties allows for the development and implementation of sustainable solutions which will ultimately change and transform an organization. Leadership action and commitment at the highest strategic level is essential for this to occur.

Impact of socioeconomic status measures on hospital profiling in New York City.

BACKGROUND: Current 30-day readmission models used by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services for the purpose of hospital-level comparisons lack measures of socioeconomic status (SES). We examined whether the inclusion of an SES measure in 30-day congestive heart failure readmission models changed hospital risk-standardized readmission rates in New York City (NYC) hospitals. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-like model, we estimated 30-day hospital-level risk-standardized readmission rates by adjusting for age, sex, and comorbid conditions. Next, we examined how hospital risk-standardized readmission rates changed relative to the NYC mean with inclusion of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-validated SES index score. In a secondary analysis, we examined whether inclusion of the AHRQ SES index score in 30-day readmission models disproportionately impacted the risk-standardized readmission rates of minority-serving hospitals. Higher AHRQ SES scores, indicators of higher SES, were associated with lower odds (0.99) of 30-day readmission (P<0.019). The addition of the AHRQ SES index did not change the model's C statistic (0.63). After adjustment for the AHRQ SES index, 1 hospital changed status from worse than the NYC average to no different than the NYC average. After adjustment for the AHRQ SES index, 1 NYC minority-serving hospital was reclassified from worse to no different than average. CONCLUSIONS: Although patients with higher SES were less likely to be admitted, the impact of SES on readmission was small. In NYC, inclusion of the AHRQ SES score in a CMS-based model did not impact hospital-level profiling based on 30-day readmission.

Improving quality in healthcare: start with the patient.

In the decade since the Institute of Medicine released To Err Is Human, patient harm from medical errors is still widespread. Healthcare has not undergone the transformative change that is needed to reduce medical errors and improve quality. This article discusses patient-centeredness as an organizing principle for transforming healthcare. We also describe important efforts that depict the shift from a provider-focused system to one that is more patient-centered. Finally, the article discusses challenges for the future and the importance of involving patients in the quest to deliver safe, quality care.

Professionalism: a necessary ingredient in a culture of safety.

BACKGROUND: A safety culture requires the highest levels of professionalism. A Code of Professionalism was created in an obstetrics service line as a mechanism to address unprofessional behavior. In this initiative, a multidisciplinary Code of Professionalism was established, with the support of leadership and the employee and nursing unions, to help create a safety culture. METHODS: In 2005 the Code of Professionalism was introduced to physicians, nurses, and support staff. The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Culture Survey was used, along with a portion of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Survey on Workplace Intimidation to measure changes in the safety culture. Data were collected in 2005, 2008, and 2011. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-four reports were made to the committee on professionalism between February 2005 and December 2010. Some 96 (72%) of the reports were submitted by nurses, with physicians accounting for 13%. Seventy-five of the reports (56%) were about unprofessional behavior by physicians and 46 (34%) were about unprofessional nursing behavior. On the AHRQ Patient Safety Culture Survey, statistically significant improvement was shown in the Teamwork Within Units dimension, from 2005 to 2008; the Management Support dimension, from 2005 to 2008; the Organizational Learning dimension, from 2005 to 2008 and also from 2008 to 2011; and the Frequency of Events Reported dimension, from 2008 to 2011. DISCUSSION: Implementing a multidisciplinary Code of Professionalism can improve the safety culture in a hospital. When leadership sets clear standards and holds physicians and staff to the same standard, improvements in an organization's safety culture can serve as the foundation for the delivery of safer care.

Achieving a safety culture in obstetrics.

Preventable maternal and neonatal mortalities still occur, despite the wonders of today's technologically advanced healthcare system. Delivering high-quality, consistent care is the goal of every provider. Yet, obstetrical practice, in which unpredictable events and high-risk situations are the norm, is particularly vulnerable to medical errors. Obstetrics departments should be striving for a climate of patient safety, one that includes a just, reporting, and learning culture. This article discusses the various components of a safety culture as well as some of the advances that are being made in the field to improve the quality of care in obstetrics.

Improving patient satisfaction with pain management using Six Sigma tools.

BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction as a direct and public measure of quality of care is changing the way hospitals address quality improvement. The feasibility of using the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology to improve patient satisfaction as it relates to pain management was evaluated. METHODS: This project used the DMAIC methodology to improve patients' overall satisfaction with pain management on two inpatient units in an urban academic medical center. Pre- and postintervention patient surveys were conducted. The DMAIC methodology provided a data-driven structure to determine the optimal improvement strategies, as well as a long-term plan for maintaining any improvements. In addition, the Change Acceleration Process (CAP) was used throughout the project's various DMAIC stages to further the work of the team by creating a shared need to meet the objectives of the project. RESULTS: Overall satisfaction with pain management "excellent" ratings increased from 37% to 54%. Both units surpassed the goal of at least 50% of responses in the "excellent" category. Several key drivers of satisfaction with pain management were uncovered in the Analyze phase of the project, and each saw rating increases from the pre-intervention to postintervention surveys. Ongoing monitoring by the hospital inpatient satisfaction survey showed that the pain satisfaction score improved in subsequent quarters as compared with the pre-intervention period. DISCUSSION: The Six Sigma DMAIC methodology can be used successfully to improve patient satisfaction. The project led to measurable improvements in patient satisfaction with pain management, which have endured past the duration of the Six Sigma project. The Control phase of DMAIC allows the improvements to be incorporated into daily operations.