Safety Culture

Adventist Health St. Helena's safety culture is vital in providing safe reliable care to our patients. Our staff participate in an annual safety culture survey as part of the Gallup employee engagement survey. The safety dimensions that are measured are: teamwork within units, communication openness, and overall perception of patient safety. The results of the survey help to guide the organization in implementing best practices to improve the safety culture.

Some of the current projects include:

• Unit Safety Huddles – Safety huddles have been implemented on the medical units of the hospital. The huddle occurs at the beginning of every shift and provides the patient care team members with information regarding any patient safety issues on the unit that day (i.e. Fall Risks, Isolation precautions, etc.) This is an opportunity for staff to bring up any concerns about equipment, safety issues, and provide information/education on new processes.
• Leader Rounding – Leader rounding is a best practice where the Hospital’s leaders visit patient care units listening to concerns that staff and patients have. Leaders then develop action plans to address concerns.
• RADAR- RADAR is software that allows staff and physicians to report any safety issues or concerns. This data is trended to identify opportunities for process improvement.
• Governing Board – The Hospital’s Governing Board has a designated sub-committee, composed of community members, physician leaders, and Hospital administrators, whose sole purpose is to oversee patient safety and quality of care provided by the Hospital. They review quality and safety reports and guide priorities for the Hospital’s patient safety and quality activities.