In terms of patient safety, what is Abington doing that distinguishes it from other hospitals?
Dr. Schneider: In terms of manpower/staff hours and the financial resources we are investing in the latest technology, Abington’s commitment to patient safety is extraordinary. We established our Center for Patient Safety and Health Care Quality, which is coordinating the hospital’s widespread safety initiatives – including our voluntary commitment to all 12 of the IHI’s recommended safety interventions. Also, most hospitals have no patient safety officers, or only one. But Abington now has nine doctors serving as patient safety officers in key areas throughout the hospital. They have completed the IHI’s premiere national program for patient safety officers. In addition, we recognized that a failure to communicate is the cause of most errors. To that end we are providing team training for all of our nurses and doctors to minimize the likelihood of communication failure.
