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Conduct Safety Briefings

Safety briefings in patient care units are tools to increase safety awareness among front-line staff and foster a culture of safety. Based on concepts in aviation and other industries, briefings make safety-consciousness part of the routine, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Safety briefings should be designed so staff members can conduct them without participation or guidance from the management.

Tips

Reinforce the non-punitive aspect of the discussion repeatedly, especially during the first few briefings.
Keep the briefings short.
Adjust the frequency and time of day if the staff asks you to.
Collect detailed information about issues raised by staff.
Institute weekly Patient Safety Leadership WalkRounds™ as well as the regular staff safety briefings for best results.

Appoint a Safety Champion for Every Unit
Communicating information about patient safety is an important responsibility that should not always fall to managers alone.
Conduct Safety Briefings
Safety briefings in patient care units are tools to increase safety awareness among front-line staff and foster a culture of safety.
Develop a Culture of Safety
In a culture of safety, people are not merely encouraged to work toward change; they take action when it is needed.
Relay Safety Reports at Shift Changes
Certain situations increase the risk of adverse events and should prompt staff to be even more safety-conscious than usual.

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by Sammy Taghoy 2/12/2018 11:56:23 AM Regular safety briefing increases awareness among health professionals and strengthens the culture of safety. It can be done before, during, or after nurses’ rounds. Briefings are also designed to prepare all staff to counter threats and minimize error potential. Poor communication between health professionals is one of the causes of medical error. Performing safety meetings can improve communication and staff’s attitude towards safety and teamwork. Briefings create a feeling of “team” among the staff, and so improve the working environment; for that reason alone, it is worth conducting briefings.

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by Joy Barby Alota 2/8/2018 3:49:58 PM These regular, concise meetings provide a consistent reminder to all staff about the safety standards and the safety culture of the institution. I believe that individuals can efficiently work when they have a clear understanding of the policies and procedures of the organization and a clear perception of their roles. Safety briefings should also provide opportunities for health staff to correct misperceptions and align expectations with institutional policies. Misunderstanding of rules and functions may jeopardize patient safety, and it is, therefore, vital for all members to raise issues and clear misconceptions. Performing safety briefings is a good strategy in safeguarding patients from medical errors that lead to near misses and adverse events.

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by Sillmark Bacason 2/8/2018 11:13:06 AM I agree on the viewpoint that it is the basic task of nurse leaders to ensure an orientation is conducted before the start of any activity. Similarly, the same thing are expected among other leaders to their members. The rationale of such action is guided on the perspective that it gives awareness to things. However, this action has sometimes forgotten based on observations. The challenged remains on the health care leaders especially front-line leaders on how to carefully handle these circumstances. Hence, they are encouraged to foster initiative to include scheduled safety briefings for staff members. This action will continuously remind staff members of the safety measures and corresponding interventions to inevitable circumstances relating to safety issues. Similarly, this action will further encouraged active involvement among staff members of the health care institutions in planning health care measures to minimize the possible occurrence of health problems.

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by Chereisle Pyponco 2/8/2018 9:56:41 AM The first thing that came to mind when I was reading the first few lines of this article was the flight safety instructions that are given before take off. I do agree that safety briefings should be included in the nurses' daily routine. It can perhaps be done at the start of the shift after patient endorsement. It may sound monotonous to be doing it every start of the shift but if it does promote a safety culture, then it is worth doing. This is not done in our institution that the idea may sound strange and monotonous that's why it's important, as mentioned above, that feedback from staff should be heard. Although the health care industry has been around for years, the culture of safety in our field needs to be cultivated and improved. The strategies that has been used in other industries like aviation can be adopted and tested (through PDSA) on how it can be applied in health care.

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by Marie Sue Cual 2/6/2018 9:03:19 PM Conducting safety briefing at the beginning of the shift will increase awareness among the staff and health providers and thus fostering a safe environment. A safety briefing is very vital in the clinical setting and should be part of their daily routine to minimize occurrence of adverse events. Briefings must be short and can be done any time of the day just to keep the staff aware and ready to manage adversity. During the briefing, some issues will be raised by the staff and should be discussed in a non-punitive way. Proper guidance from the management and regular staff briefing will have a positive result in promoting patient safety and a safe environment.

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by Alih-Marl Akbar 2/4/2018 4:59:32 AM Conducting safety briefings as part of the daily work routine is the hallmark of fostering a culture of safety within an organization. Such strategies will keep the personnel mindful of his responsibilities as a healthcare worker in ensuring a safe and quality patient care. Keeping the briefings short will promote retention and doing it regularly immerse oneself to the lifeways of a better prepared professional healthcare. Aside from instituting regular ‘Patient Safety Leadership WalkRounds’, the organization can provide or create ‘safety reminders checklist or processes cards’ for quick reference for the staff, especially during an emergency situation. Let the regular safety briefing sessions be held with some opportunity for sharing issues and concerns among the staff.

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by Rahima Sahiron 2/4/2018 3:26:25 AM I believed safety briefing is a helpful reminder in creating alertness aside from real-time awareness and preparedness among staff, patient, family and significant persons. Educating all staff to conduct comprehensive safety briefing, that is environmentally appropriate, culture-sensitive and abiding by legal standards. This will also psychologically create shared responsibility among carers as they perform their roles and responsibilities while on duty. More so, their commitment can reduce patient’s harm and increase safety as they promote regular briefings.

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Patient Safety Leadership WalkRounds™
Senior leaders conduct weekly WalkRounds to have informal conversations with front-line staff about safety issues and to demonstrate their support of an organizational culture that promotes nonpunitive reporting of errors, adverse events, near misses, and unsafe conditions.
Safety Briefings Tool
A simple, easy-to-use tool that front-line staff can use to share information about potential safety problems and concerns on a daily basis, to promote safety consciousness and learning.

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Conduct Safety Briefings