New Jersey STRONG HRO Safety Behaviors: S = Speak Up for Safety

As part of Cooper University Health Care’s involvement in the New Jersey High Reliability Organization (HRO) Collaborative, also known as New Jersey STRONG, our goal is to train and educate staff on how to provide the best care to our patients in the safest environment.

There are six safety behaviors that align with New Jersey STRONG’s name and mission:

S – Speak Up for Safety

T – Think Critically

R – Reliably Communicate

O – On Task

N – No Harm

G – Got Your Back

Over the next several months, we will educate staff on how to apply these safety tips – and their associated error prevention tools – to real life, on-the-job situations.

S = Speak Up for Safety:

 

Cooper employees should speak up when there is a concern that a patient or coworker could be harmed due to an unintended error or a choice to deviate from a policy or procedure.

 

It’s important to speak up when you have a safety concern, even if you’re afraid of getting pushback from a colleague. We all have a responsibility to speak up with safety concerns to protect our patients and each other.

 

Error Prevention Tool: Escalate Concerns Using ARCC

 

We each have a moral obligation to escalate safety concerns in a respectful manner when we see or hear something that could be a safety issue. One way to do this is by using the error prevention tool ARCC – Ask, Request, Concern, Chain of Command.

If you have attempted to check a colleague by asking a question and requesting a change, but you still have a concern, you should voice it using the safety phrase “I have a safety concern.” Every organization should have a safe word and at Cooper that word is “concerned.” When someone says they are concerned, it should raise a red flag that causes you to stop and address why this person believes that a patient may be harmed.

If you believe that unsafe conditions still exist, you should take it to the next level by using the Chain of Command and turning to leadership, who will address the concern in a timely manner.

Using the safety phrase “I have a safety concern” is helpful if you feel hesitant or intimidated to raise a concern to someone you perceive to be in a position of higher authority (for example, a nurse speaking with a physician, or a transporter speaking with a nurse).

In the following example, a nurse speaks up for safety using ARCC when a physician walks into an isolation room without protective barriers:

Ask: Dr. Jones, aren’t we supposed to put on a gown and gloves when entering an isolation room?

(Dr. Jones says he is not going to touch anything.)

Request: Dr. Jones, could you please put on a gown and gloves as per isolation precautions?

(Dr. Jones says he doesn’t have time.)

Voice a Concern: Dr. Jones, I have a SAFETY CONCERN about our patient and other staff members. We use barriers to prevent the spread of infections.

(Dr. Jones enters the room.)

Chain of Command: Dr. Jones, I am not comfortable with this. I need to speak with my supervisor.

If you have questions about this safety tip or the use of ARCC, please contact the Patient Safety Department at 110-6634 or 856.382.6634.