It Takes a Team to Keep Patients Safe

Did you know that Patient Safety Awareness Week is celebrated nationally every year from March 2 to 8? When it comes to patient safety, every member of GBMC’s family has a role to play. This was highlighted by a recent “good catch” that was made by a member of the Environmental Services (EVS) team. One day, as she completed her regular work, the EVS associate responsible for cleaning the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) glanced into one of the rooms and noticed a patient attempting to get out of a chair.

Utilizing GBMC’s safe behaviors, the EVS staff member first paid attention to detail – noticing that a patient who was at a high risk for falling was trying to get out of a chair without assistance. She then communicated the situation clearly and directly by notifying the nursing staff immediately so they could assist. Working together as a team, the employee and the nursing staff intervened to prevent this patient from potentially being harmed by a fall.

“We’re proud and appreciative of this team member’s willingness to go above and beyond her daily responsibilities to ensure our patients are safe and that we are able to provide the care we would want for our own loved ones,” says Carolyn Candiello, Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety. “She and the SICU nurses are perfect examples of our GBMC family working together, regardless of their organizational roles – clinical or nonclinical – and getting in action to keep patient safety at the top of mind.”

GBMC believes that patients have a right to know about the hospital’s efforts to provide safe and reliable care. Members of the community are welcome to visit the patient safety and quality webpage, www.gbmc.org/quality. The site tracks GBMC’s progress in various safety measures, from hand hygiene to surgical site infections, and is updated regularly.