Authors (including presenting author) :
Lui PY(1), Lau CL(1), Tsang LF(1), Leung LM(1)
Affiliation :
(1) Nursing Services Division, Haven of Hope Hospital
Introduction :
Patient safety is a global imperative. Assessing the existing safety culture within the organisation allows the senior managers to obtain a clear view of the patient safety aspects requiring urgent attention and also to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the existing culture. Nursing Executive Rounds were conducted as a tool to engage department leadership in discussion with the frontline colleagues to solicit feedback to improve quality and safety.
Objectives :
1. To demonstrate department leadership’s commitment to quality and safety 2. To increase staff engagement in patient safety and develop a culture of open communication 3. To identify the weaknesses of the existing practice 4. To acknowledge and share good practice 5. To support a proactive approach to minimising risk, timely reporting and feedback
Methodology :
Haven of Hope Hospital began the Nursing Executive Rounds (NERs) since April 2022. The NERs were conducted bimonthly and the in-patient wards, Specialty Out-patient Department (SOPD) and Clinical Diagnostic Unit (CDU) would be included. In each walk-round, two areas were visited. An open-ended conversational approach based on reflection instead of inspection was adopted, the team in the area being visited would share any quality improvement plan or challenges. The discussions were documented and the findings of the walk-round were shared and discussed at appropriate meetings or forums.
Result & Outcome :
5 walk-rounds were conducted included 9 in-patient wards and SOPD. A total of 16 good practices were documented and shared in the regular meetings with Ward managers and the Nursing Forums. While 25 issues of concern were identified, 76 percent of these have been completely or partially resolved. NERs are effectively engaged and arose the awareness of patient safety by identifying the strengths and weaknesses at their workplace. A positive effect on the safety culture building for nurses was observed. A continuing implementation of NERs can serve as an important tool to the safety culture in Haven of Hope Hospital and, ultimately, embrace the patient safety.
