Peter Pronovost, an anesthesiologist and critical-care specialist at Johns Hopkins partnered with colleague and media relations executive, Eric
Vohr to publish “Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals”, a compelling 304 page read that has the healthcare industry buzzing with new approaches to protecting its patients.
The book begins under the premise that patient care ought to be more like the aviation business, which is to say (and we traveling nurses and therapists know how to assess the metaphor here) pilots rely on every crew member, regardless of rank. Pilots and crew work as a team; they report preemptively on danger, and, above and beyond this, pilots make checklists before take-off.
Why can’t doctors and nurses work together like this? Dr. Pronovost is saying that they can.
RNs need to feel comfortable talking to doctors. A travel nursing assignment may, at times, entail conversations with the health team when a patient’s health is at stake. The bottom line? Better communication among hospital staff and simple checklists are having a remarkable impact on patient care and saving thousands of lives.
Here’s an example of how well a check-list approach works. The Center for Disease Control has a 120 page book of guidelines for safe catheter insertion—too long, argues Dr. Pronovost, for healthcare professionals to absorb and implement flawlessly; so he broke it down into an easy 5 step checklist.
- Wash hands
- Use sterile gowns, gloves and masks
- Clean the insertion site with antiseptic
- Avoid placing catheters in the groin (where infection risk is higher)
- Remove catheter just as soon as it is no longer needed.
In a federally funded program, Dr. Pronovost’s checklist was implemented in 50 ICUs in Michigan hospitals. The result? Infection rates dropped to nearly zero and stayed there, saving an estimated 2,000 people, dropping cases of infection and unnecessary deaths across the country by 90 percent.
If you work in travel nursing somewhere in the 50 states, have an opinion, are familiar with Pronovost’s book or just have something to say about his ideas, we hope you’ll post a comment. It’s hard to argue against his ideas for shaking up the medical culture and removing its toxicity; they may well be just what the doctor ordered.
Tags: 50 states, books about healthcare, Center for Disease Control, nurse checklist, patient safety book, safety checklist, travel nursing job
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