Keeping the lines of communication open

Patient safety is central to quality care

Institute of Medicine report underscores the importance of safety

Medication Safety Subcommittee works to reduce errors and enhance safety

Nonpunitive event- reporting system is the key to patient safety

JCAHO patient-safety reminders

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Advisors

Ralph D. Feigin, M.D.
Physician-in-Chief
Texas Children's Hospital
Professor and Chairman
Department of Pediatrics
Baylor College of Medicine

Jeffrey R. Starke, M.D.
Medical Staff President
Director, Infection Control
Texas Children's Hospital
Associate Professor of Pediatrics Baylor College of Medicine

Editor
Cindy Shanley
Marketing and Public Affairs
Texas Children’s Hospital
832-824-2180

Designer
Marilyn Crawford

For  members of the Texas Children's Hospital medical staff

Patient safety is central to quality care

By Mark A. Wallace

I’m pleased to present the inaugural issue of Progress notes. This newsletter is intended to keep you informed about issues that have an impact on you and provide a forum for education and discussion about events important to the medical staff at Texas Children’s.

Dr. Ralph Feigin, physician-in-chief; Dr. Jeffrey Starke, medical staff president; Dr. Robert Warren, medical staff president-elect; and I look forward to keeping you in the loop on relevant issues that affect us all. Your feedback and contributions are welcome and encouraged.

In this first issue, we turn our focus to an issue that is central to quality care: patient safety. At Texas Children’s, patient safety has always been part of our commitment to excellence
in patient care and inherent to our responsibility to the patients and families we serve. However, we recently took steps to increase awareness about patient safety throughout the organization.

First, on May 6, 2004, the board of trustees of Texas Children’s Hospital unanimously adopted a resolution supporting Texas Children’s patient-safety program and expressing the board’s commitment to the program. Also, as chief executive officer of Texas Children’s Hospital, I set a list of organizational priorities each fiscal year. Both in fiscal year 2004 and fiscal year 2005, patient safety has been one of my priorities.

Patient safety is everyone’s responsibility

Dr. Feigin and I appointed Dr. Joan Shook, chief of Emergency Medicine, as chief safety officer to lead the hospital’s patient-safety initiatives. Along with the dedicated staff in the Quality Outcomes and Management department, Dr. Shook has done an outstanding job of raising awareness of patient safety throughout the Texas Children’s organization. Providing annual reports to the board of trustees and periodic reports to the board’s risk management committee, working with the medical staff and interacting with staff during safety rounds, Dr. Shook has facilitated the development of a stronger awareness and level of participation in the patient-safety initiative.

Our ultimate goal is to ensure that patient safety becomes instilled in the culture of the Texas Children’s organization. Although we have dedicated additional resources and support for the patient-safety program, we must not lose sight of the fact that patient safety is everyone’s responsibility. It is my responsibility…it is your responsibility…it is the responsibility of our board…and it is the responsibility of every employee, physician and patient-care provider throughout Texas Children’s. It is through this all-encompassing approach and sincere commitment that we will be able to continue our mission of excellence in patient care and fulfill our responsibility to the patients and families we serve.

Mark A. Wallace is president and chief executive officer of Texas Children’s Hospital.

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Medical staff committees

To serve on a committee,
contact Dr. Robert Warren.

Bioethics

Bylaws

Cardiac Catheterization
Laboratory Advisory
Committee

Cardiopulmonary
Resuscitation

Child Protection

Credentials

Emergency Services

Infections

Library

Medical Records

Nursing Services

Nutrition

Operating Room

Peer Review

Performance Improvement-Medical Staff

Perinatal Advisory Committee

Pharmacy & Therapeutics

Practitioner Health &
Wellbeing

Sedation

Special Care

Therapeutic Abortion &
Sterilization

Trauma Process

Transfusion

Transport

Utilization Review

For a description of each
committee, refer to
Article VIII of the medical
staff bylaws.