St. John's initiatives work to ensure patient safety
March 1, 2006

St. John’s Health System has launched several initiatives to ensure the health and safety of patients.

In addition to adhering to the National Patient Safety Goals updated annually by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), St. John’s has voluntarily joined a nationwide initiative to lower mortality rates in hospitals; launched several medication safety programs and purchased patient transfer equipment.

“Ensuring the health and safety of patients is St. Johns’ top priority,” Kim Day, St. John’s President/CEO says. “The health system’s goal is to reduce preventable medical mistakes and improve the quality of care patients receive.”

100,000 Lives Campaign

St. John’s has joined a nationwide initiative that engages hospitals to implement changes in care proven to improve patient care and prevent avoidable deaths. The campaign, spearheaded by Boston’s Institute for Healthcare Improvement is the first national effort to promote saving a specific number of lives by a certain date, June 14, 2006.

The “100,000 Lives Campaign” was launched in December 2004 by IHI’s founder Dr. Donald Berwick.

There are six evidence-based quality improvement changes at the core of the campaign. To participate, hospitals must commit to working on at least one of the six. St. John’s is currently working on all six change initiatives.

• Deploy rapid response teams to recognize patients who are progressively failing outside the ICU;
• deliver reliable, evidence-based care for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack);
• prevent adverse drug events;
• prevent central line infections;
• prevent surgical site infections;
• prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia.

MEDICATION SAFETY

St. John’s has launched several initiatives to promote medication safety, including a community “Know Your Meds” campaign and the implementation of bar coding technology at the patient bedside (Mercy Meds).

“Know Your Meds”

For the “Know Your Meds” campaign, 200,000 brown bags will be included in the Spring issue of St. John’s Healthy People magazine, to encourage readers to bring all of their medications to their physician and/or pharmacist to be checked for interactions and proper dosage. Bags will also be distributed to all 70 St. John’s Clinic physician offices in 35 communities.

Mercy Meds

Mercy Meds is a program implemented across Sisters of Mercy Health System aimed at preventing medication errors. Dispensing cabinets securely store bar-coded medication and allow nurses to obtain medication directly on the nursing unit in a timely manner.

In addition to preventing medication errors, the primary goal of Mercy Meds is to increase nurses’ time at the patient bedside, improving the hospital experience and supporting an exceptional level of care. Mercy Meds also is positioning hospital pharmacists as integral members of the patient care team, bringing their professional expertise from the pharmacy to the patient floor.

Other patient safety initiatives at St. John’s include the use of a robotic drug-dispensing system in the St. John’s Hospital pharmacy to improve accuracy and efficiency.
 

Patient Transfer Safety Initiative

Heavy lifting, incorrect working positions and stress are often all part of the job in patient care. In many cases this leads to work injuries among staff, with high costs for sick leave and rehabilitation.

“Sprains and strains, especially back injuries from lifting and transporting patients, are pretty common among nursing staff,” says Patty Garretson, R.N., nurse coordinator for St. John’s Hospital’s Nursing Administration department. “It’s always been expected that nurses lift and transport patients, but as our nursing population gets older, we’re seeing more and more injuries. We’re trying to institute a cultural change in patient care by educating staff about minimal-lifting protocols and utilizing state-of-the-art patient lifting/transporting devices to use on the nursing floors.”

The equipment, which includes rising and standing aids, powered sling-lifts and sliding sheets, was in 2005 purchased with a $215,000 grant from St. John’s Foundation for Community Health.

“In addition to reducing the number of injuries among patient care staff, this new system maintains the safety and dignity of our patients. All of these devices make the most out of a patient’s existing mobility, so it allows them to do as much for themselves as they can with the help of the equipment.”

For media information, contact St. John’s Media Relations at 417-820-2426 or cscott@sprg.mercy.net.