Implementing effective processes
When responding to disasters, organisations need to prioritise safety and reduce risks of harm. COVID-19 made very visible the risks to both patients and healthcare workers from communicable diseases. A September 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) report identified that 14 per cent of COVID-19 cases are amongst healthcare workers, as high as 35 per cent in some countries. Hospitals with effective procedures for infection prevention and control were able to pivot their attention toward managing this novel virus.
Dr Leonhardt highlighted that emergency management frameworks are based on the cycle of PREPARE, RESPOND, RECOVER and MITIGATE. Health systems that applied quality improvement and patient safety principles managed successfully through each of these phases.
For example, during the prepare phase, the use of prioritisation matrices such as the hazard vulnerability analysis provides a systematic approach to plan for potential hazards. South Korea illustrated this by using the lessons learned from their experience with MERS in 2015, implementing updated emergency plans when COVID-19 arrived.
By applying quality tools such as listening to the voice of the customer (patients and staff), conducting root cause analyses, collecting data, implementing corrective actions, organisations can improve their processes to be more effective.
According to the WHO, one in 10 patients are harmed while admitted to hospitals. Now is the time for a cultural transformation across the globe, to move healthcare toward high reliability and zero patient harm.
Joint Commission has studied high reliability in healthcare and identified three pillars:
• Leadership that is committed to safety, setting the strategy and providing resources;
• Organisational culture focused on safety – for patients and healthcare workers – as the priority;
• Performance Improvement, a data-driven approach to problem-solving, with all staff trained in the science of improvement