Turning Awareness into Action: Moving the Needle on Patient Safety

By Hannah Carlisle, RN and Clinic Director/Risk Compliance Officer with Health Partnership Clinic

The theme for this year’s Patient Safety Awareness Week is “Moving the Needle”. What does that mean you ask? Well, to put it simply, it means that we are more than just aware of areas that could be improved, we are taking action in these areas to improve patient safety and the quality of care received.

Active Listening

At Health Partnership Clinic, an area we are very focused on is active listening. Active listening gives someone your full attention, listening to their words and tone and responding in a way that shows you understand what they have shared. It engages the patient and their family or caregiver in the care they are receiving from their provider and provider’s team, and it builds a trusting relationship.

The team starts with the person answering the phone to schedule the patient. If we do not allow the patient time to clearly state their needs, we will not be able to provide the care required for proper treatment. The team also includes the clinic support staff, medical assistants and nurses. When a patient gets back to the exam room, they want to be sure all their questions are fully answered. The clinic staff set the tone for the visit by listening to why they are there and any recent circumstances that could be currently affecting their health. At that time, the staff are able to give the patient expectations of what can realistically be accomplished in the visit but also reassure the patient that anything that may not be able to be discussed today can be discussed at another visit.

Once the provider goes in, they have a little background as to what is going on with the patient but will provide conversation to engage the patient in forming a partnership to manage the health needs as a team. This allows the patient and anyone with them to feel comfortable asking questions which leads to improved outcomes as needs are identified and education shared.

The HPC Nurse Line

Active listening is one of the reasons Health Partnership has implemented a nurse line. Many of our patients and community partners have voiced frustration with calling to reach a provider. I know I can get frustrated when I sit on hold and still do not get my questions answered. We also listened to our staff who were managing all of the phone calls as well as many other tasks that required close attention. I have sat at the front desk a few times, and it is not an easy job! It is our goal that by implementing a nurse line, patients will have easier access to their medical team, be able to voice concerns clearly with the message going directly to the medical team, and that it will give each member of our team time to actively listen to every patient that calls or comes through our doors.

While active listening is only a piece of the many things we are doing here at Health Partnership, it is truly something that will help us move the needle in more than just a nurse line. Active listening is something that will help us find other areas to improve on to ensure we are providing patient care safely and cultivating a culture of safety within our team. So even though you had to read this, thanks for listening.