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April 5, 2004TRAVERSE CITY: Munson implements measures to boost patient safetyThey include better identification and communicationByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Patients at Munson Medical Center may wonder why so many hospital workers inquire as to who they are, but officials say it's just part of new safety procedures instituted to improve area patient care. The patient safety initiatives, among what Munson officials say is a nationwide trend of improving safety measures in clinical situations, are a result of nearly two years of work by the hospital's Patient Safety Council. The recent changes include: improved patient identification, where patients are repeatedly asked their names and verified by ID bands; improved communication between providers and high alert medication safety; protections against wrong-site, wrong-patient and wrong-procedure surgeries by having surgeons mark surgical sites with patients before surgery; improved clinical alarm systems; and an attempt to reduce the risk of patients acquiring infections while under care. Other precautions - including electronic medical records and upcoming bar-coding on medication and blood supplies - are also expected to increase safety. "(The safety council) has been looking at what the trends are across the board and looking at the major topics," said Barb Gordon-Kessel, a Munson spokeswoman. "All of these things are now these global goals across the organization." According to a Munson study, during 2003 the medical center had 28 wrong patient reports involving medications, including 18 involving intravenous medications and 10 others involving other medications, all of which were related to not checking patient identifications. Those 28 incidents came out of a total of just over two million medication doses administered. "That's a small percentage," said Bonnie Schreiber, director of risk management at MMC. "But, our goal is to continue to reduce those numbers." Part of the program also includes a non-punitive, medical error reporting policy that encourages employees to report medical mistakes or what the hospital calls "near misses," said Gordon-Kessel. Patients are being educated about the new measures through a brochure being distributed as part of the hospital's pre-admission process. If patients feel they have been wrongly, or poorly, treated, they are able to contact a patient liaison. "We want more public knowledge for the patients and their families," said Gordon-Kessel. "Patients need to know it is OK to ask questions."
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