Chair File: Hospital Teams Across the Country Are Advancing Patient Safety

This week, March 8-14, is Patient Safety Awareness Week. Delivering safe, quality care to all patients is the top priority for everyone working in hospitals and health systems. This year’s Patient Safety Awareness Week theme, “Team Up for Patient Safety,” reflects the importance of teamwork in building a culture of safety and continuous improvement.

Health care teams work every day to advance patient safety and quality of care. A recent report published by the AHA and Vizient shares data showing improved patient safety and quality performance measures among hospitals and health systems.

Through its Patient Safety Initiative, the AHA provides hospitals with tools and data to advance patient safety, share lessons learned with peers, and offer examples of innovation to support and sustain continuous improvement. As part of this initiative, the AHA shares stories of effective, innovative programs that are enhancing patient safety.

A few examples:

• UConn Health, based in Farmington, Conn., has embraced a culture of safety to create a positive experience for patients and staff. The medical center encourages “CHAMP” behaviors: Communicate clearly, Handoff effectively, pay Attention to detail, Mentor and coach others, and Practice and accept a questioning attitude.
• Columbia Memorial Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Astoria, Ore., schedules daily huddles with safety huddle boards, has safety coaches across the organization, and convenes a team weekly to analyze safety events and create action plans as needed. In 2024, everyone at Columbia Memorial Hospital received training in the principles of high-reliability organizations, which emphasize safety.
• At Houston Methodist, the organization I lead, we introduced remote patient monitoring — small, wearable devices — in 2023 to check patients’ vitals in real time. The devices continuously measure heart rate, respiratory rate, activity and skin temperature. Over the past few years, our remote monitoring team has monitored trends and alerted nurses to any patient safety concerns. We have given nurses more time at the patient’s bedside and patients more time to recover, with fewer interruptions.

The AHA will continue to share stories and support hospitals and health systems across the country in efforts to ensure safe, quality care and positive outcomes for patients and communities.