As part of Cooper University Health Care\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
There are six safety behaviors that align with New Jersey STRONG\u2019s name and mission:<\/p>\n
S <\/strong>\u2013 Speak Up for Safety<\/p>\n T<\/strong> \u2013 Think Critically<\/p>\n R<\/strong> \u2013 Reliably Communicate<\/p>\n O<\/strong> \u2013 On Task<\/p>\n N<\/strong> \u2013 No Harm<\/p>\n G<\/strong> \u2013 Got Your Back<\/p>\n Over the next several months, we will educate staff on how to apply these safety tips \u2013 and their associated error prevention tools \u2013 to real life, on-the-job situations.<\/p>\n S = Speak Up for Safety:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s important to speak up when you have a safety concern, even if you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Error Prevention Tool: Escalate Concerns Using ARCC<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n 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 \u2013 Ask, Request, Concern, Chain of Command.<\/p>\n If you have attempted to check a colleague by asking<\/strong> a question and requesting<\/strong> a change, but you still have a concern<\/strong>, you should voice it using the safety phrase \u201cI have a safety concern.\u201d Every organization should have a safe word and at Cooper that word is \u201cconcerned.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n If you believe that unsafe conditions still exist, you should take it to the next level by using the Chain of Command<\/strong> and turning to leadership, who will address the concern in a timely manner.<\/p>\n Using the safety phrase \u201cI have a safety concern\u201d 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).<\/p>\n In the following example, a nurse speaks up for safety using ARCC when a physician walks into an isolation room without protective barriers:<\/p>\n Ask:<\/strong> Dr. Jones, aren\u2019t we supposed to put on a gown and gloves when entering an isolation room?<\/p>\n