Written by Joanne Byron, BS, LPN, CCA, CHA, CHCO, CHBS, CHCM, CIFHA, CMDP, OHCC, ICDCT-CM/PCS
This article emphasizes the need of healthcare institutions to focus on building a culture of safety through improving care of the workforce. Read Part 1: Building a Culture of Patient Safety Starts with Reducing Staff Burnout posted December 3, 2024.
New Dashboard to Track Progress
On December 5, 2024, the National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety (NAA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched the National Healthcare Safety Dashboard, an online resource that aggregates hospital safety data from four primary measurement sources. Thus, the dashboard creates one comprehensive resource for understanding the current state of patient and workforce safety.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) works under the Department of Health and Human Services. AHRQ sponsors the National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety and now offers a resource for national patient and workforce safety data dashboard. The goal of data collection is to improve safety of patients and your healthcare workforce.
The National Healthcare Safety Dashboard makes national safety data more transparent, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of healthcare safety by care setting, beginning with hospital care. It opens doors to information and best practices to empower healthcare provider organizations, patient advocates, policymakers, professional associations and others to monitor national safety progress and make informed decisions to improve safety nationwide.
The National Action Alliance goals, listed below, are intended to help all healthcare systems strengthen their patient and workforce safety outcomes.
1. Advance Healthcare Organization Safety Strategies Using Safety Self-Assessments
- Encourage healthcare organizations to perform safety self-assessments focused on the NAP’s foundational elements.
- Support healthcare organizations in their efforts to enact safety strategies based on identified gaps.
2. Empower the Patient's Voice in Safety Strategy
- Allow patients and families to submit safety concerns into healthcare organization event reporting systems.
- Encourage healthcare organizations to implement communication and resolution programs.
- Engage patients and families in safety event reviews and in safety initiative planning.
3. Support the Healthcare Workforce by Making Healthcare Safer by Design
- Identify and address five high-priority safety engineering needs.
4. Support the Healthcare Workforce by Strengthening Healthcare Safety Competencies
- Ensure all healthcare team members, from administrators to clinical and non-clinical staff, receive training in fundamental safety competencies.
5. Facilitate a Learning and Research Network
- Encourage learning and sharing across network.
- Spotlight change leaders.
- Promote robust safety measurement locally and nationally.
- Support research to address high-priority needs in patient and workforce safety.
The initial version of the dashboard offers access to hospital safety data and will expand to include other healthcare settings, such as ambulatory clinics and nursing homes. The data sources listed on the Dashboard include:
- Hospital Patient Safety Indicators from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project
- Hospital Medicare Adverse Events from the Quality and Safety Review System
- CMS Hospital Reporting Program Safety Measures
- Surveys on Patient Safety Culture® (SOPS®) Hospital Survey
Resources and Tools on Patient and Healthcare Workforce Safety
Resources are listed on the AHRQ website by type of harm. These tools and resources include active federally sponsored implementation initiatives and funding opportunities and can help you address safety needs that you identify in your safety self-assessment.
- Diagnostic Safety
- Falls
- Hospital-Associated Infections
- Maternal Safety
- Medication Safety
- Never Events
- Opioid Safety
- Pressure Ulcers
- Readmissions
- Sepsis
- Surgical Safety
- Transitions in Care
- Venous Thromboembolism
The AHRQ recommended Self-Assessment Tool is an essential resource designed to help health care organizations evaluate their safety readiness, identify opportunities for improvement, and track progress over time. The 2024 updated version of the tool aligns with the recommendations in Safer Together: A National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety (National Action Plan) and incorporates the latest insights and best practices from global safety initiatives.
Conclusion
Healthcare is not safe until it is safe for all. As healthcare organizations implement these initiatives and work collectively across the NAA, the National Healthcare Safety Dashboard becomes an essential tool that allows the healthcare community to monitor progress and offers insights to guide further action. Workforce safety recognizes the imperative to protect workforce members from physical harm so that they can deliver high-quality care, and recognizes the vital importance of psychological and emotional safety for engaging, communicating, and collaborating effectively to safely deliver patient care.
The National Healthcare Safety Dashboard is now live and accessible to the public:
About the Author and AIHC
The author, Joanne Byron, shares her clinical, consulting, auditing and educational experience by serving as the Board Chair and overseeing the AIHC Volunteer Education Committee. She is also a volunteer hospice nurse, hospice hands-on-care volunteer and End of Life Doula.
The American Institute of Healthcare Compliance (AIHCR) is a non-profit healthcare training organization and a licensing/certification partner with CMS. Please visit our online store listing current training and certification offerings.
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