Josh Good, BS, RRT, manager, Respiratory Care Services, and Cathy Brenner, BS, RRT, clinical coordinator, represented the Pulmonary Services department’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure exhaled air was properly filtered from patients with COVID-19 to keep healthcare workers safe. They received the Judges Choice award.
Recently, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health held their annual Patient Safety Fair to promote the efforts departments and employees have pursued to advance patient safety and to build a culture of high reliability.
Following this year’s “game show” theme, participating teams set up colorful and interactive presentations to display their process improvement and patient and workplace safety efforts. Presentations included new guidelines for patients with a history of seizures, how to reduce noise to protect the newborns in the Women’s & Babies Hospital (WBH) NICU, efforts to ensure exhaled air from patients with COVID-19 is properly filtered to keep employees safe, and more.
Participating teams could display their work at either Lancaster General Hospital (LGH) on Thursday, March 16 or at WBH on Friday, March 17. Awards were given in three categories including “Most Demonstrated Outcome,” “High Reliability,” and “Judges Choice.”
Mari Cunningham, NICU therapist and Ali Stauffer, RN, NICU nurse at WBH, worked together to display how certain sounds like a trash bag opening can be too loud for a newborn baby’s ears, while gently talking to a newborn is good for their brain development.
“This year’s Patient Safety Fair was a great example of the excellence and experience our employees bring to our patients every single day,” said Kayla Cook, Patient Safety and Just Culture coordinator at LG Health. “These projects that have been or will be introduced to the health system will continue to advance patient care as well as our employees’ well-being and safety.”