127: Safer Together From Plan to Practice
59 min
Transforming Patient Safety Culture: How Ascension Is Implementing the Safer Together National Action Plan at Scale
Implementing a national patient safety plan sounds straightforward on paper. In practice, it requires something far more challenging: shifting an entire organization's culture. In this episode, Patricia McGaffigan, RN, VP, IHI; President, Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety, talks with the Vice President for Patient Safety and Compliance within Ascension, Kelly Randall, Ph.D. about how one of the nation's largest health systems is implementing the Safer Together National Action Plan across nearly 100 hospitals. Their path forward involves creating tiered safety huddles that connect frontline nurses to executive leadership daily. They've launched programs like "We've Got Your Back" to protect those who speak up, and celebrate near misses alongside wins through their "Everyday Hero of Safety" recognition. They discuss how increased safety event reporting signals growing trust, not growing problems, and understanding that when nurses create workarounds, they're often highlighting things that do not work or broken systems. This is a success story, but one that continues to unfold. It's about the ongoing work of opening communication channels, actively listening across all levels, breaking down hierarchical barriers, and continuous learning. As Kelly reminds us, sometimes you must walk, not run, to go faster when transforming culture.
About See You Now Podcast
SEE YOU NOW is a podcast that shines a light on the real people changing the status quo in health: from nurses working in labor and delivery, with infectious diseases, and in hospice; to nurse allies in politics, business and tech. Created in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson and the American Nurses Association.
For more information on the podcast bundles, visit ANA's Innovation Website at https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/innovation/education.
Have questions or feedback for the SEE YOU NOW team? Future episode ideas? Contact us at hello@seeyounowpodcast.com.
Resources
- Safer Together: A National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety (2020).
- Associations between patient safety culture and workplace safety culture in hospital settings (2024).
- Prioritizing our Healthcare Workers: The Importance of Addressing the Intersection of Workplace Violence and Mental Health and Wellbeing (2024).
- A concept analysis of psychological safety: Further understandingforapplication to health care (2022).
