Skip to contents
In This Issue:
How many times have you been faced with a challenging patient or family interaction that left you feeling threatened and wondering, "Was there anything else I could have done?" "Was there anyone else we could have called?" "Was there any way we could have improved the outcome?"The BWH S.A.F.E. task force is an interprofessional group brought together to develop a standardized hospital-wide approach that transforms our clinical responses to situations that could potentially pose a threat to the safety of patients, their families and staff. "S.A.F.E." stands for: Spot a threat, Assess the risk, Formulate a safe clinical response and Evaluate the outcome. It outlines an approach to care that all staff can use when faced with challenging care moments. S.A.F.E. is part of the Wellness and Workplace Safety program initiated at BWH in December 2012 and was assembled by executive sponsors Stanley Ashley, MD, chief medical officer; Jackie Somerville, PhD, RN, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of Patient Care Services; and Julie Celano, vice president of Human Resource. The goal is to develop and implement clinical interventions focused on preventing, managing and communicating any threats involving inpatients, families and staff.The task force administered a hospital-wide staff well-being and safety survey in 2013 to gather baseline information. At the same time, three subgroups focused on reviewing current literature, internal and external best practices, education options and opportunities for better data tracking, and analyzed current practice. Most recently, S.A.F.E., made up of staff from throughout BWH, is completing an educational training video, called an e-learning seminar, which will be available on HealthStream in October. The e-learning seminar will be made up of different real patient scenarios to help staff understand and learn S.A.F.E. interventions.S.A.F.E. tri-chairs Barbara Lakatos, DNP, RN, program director of the Psychiatric Nursing Resource Service, Joshua Kosowsky, MD, clinical director of the Emergency Department, and trauma surgeon Reza Askari, MD, say that although there are very few direct threats to BWH staff, it's important to have a standardized response system in place."At BWH, we recognize that staff safety and patient safety are inherently connected," Lakatos said. "Any incident involving an actual or potential threat to the safety of a BWH employee requires a clinical, coordinated and effective response." Kosowsky says S.A.F.E. provides staff with the tools they need to better assess their patients and provide what they and their families need, so that challenging situations can be avoided."When they can't be avoided, S.A.F.E. gives us the tools to manage these situations in a safe and standardized way that people can feel confident in and learn from," he said.