To take hospital patient safety to the next level as it embarks on a community harm reduction collaborative focused on two critical patient safety areas: patient falls and pressure ulcers.
Participating hospitals have agreed to work toward shared goals and share data as a means toward measurement and improvement.
For the first time, hospitals in this region will be able to analyze patient safety data collectively, as well as compare their results to the mean, and then use this information to guide improvement efforts. Harm reduction translates to fewer individuals experiencing an adverse event and it translates to cost savings.
This effort will use the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)’s collaborative model. Participating Council hospital members have committed to working over a period of 18 months, alternating between Learning Sessions in which teams from all participating organizations come together to learn about the chosen topic and to plan changes, and Action Periods in which the teams return to their organizations and test those changes in clinical settings.
Hospitals will report on their methods and results, collectively reflect on lessons learned, and provide social support and encouragement for making further changes.
Data Sharing Goal – 90 percent of the region’s acute care hospitals share two years of harm data by 12-31-11
Harm Reduction Goal – 50 percent reduction in regional rate of harm data (pressure ulcers and patient falls) by 12-31-12
Health Council Contact
For more information, contact Dora Anim.