Pediatric Resident University of South Florida Tampa, Florida, United States
Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires that residents know their responsibilities and how to report patient safety events at their clinical sites. The 2018 Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) National Report found that while residents were aware of how to report patient safety events, they were not using this venue to report safety events. Reporting events that do or have the potential to cause patient harm is an important aspect of improving patient safety and healthcare quality. In the 12 months prior to the start of the USHERSS initiative, Pediatrics and Medicine-Pediatrics Residents were responsible for reporting of only 1 safety event in the RL Solutions event reporting system. Objective: By 04/2024, > 36 safety events (goal of 2 per month) will be submitted by the Pediatrics and Medicine-Pediatrics residents via the RL Solutions event reporting system in an 18-month period. Design/Methods: This quality improvement (QI) project focuses on implementing and utilizing resident-led safety huddles to improve resident use of the event reporting system with a global aim of improving healthcare quality and fostering a culture that supports patient safety and high reliability behaviors. The USHERSS Program began in October 2022 as an institutional QI initiative led by our institution’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) department. The Pediatrics and Medicine-Pediatrics Programs were 2 of 13 GME Programs that participated.
Safety huddles follow a standardized format and are conducted monthly at an academic half-day session, which all pediatrics and medicine-pediatrics residents are expected to attend. Safety huddles are led by a Pediatrics Resident Patient Safety Champion. Residents are provided education on types of safety events and how to submit patient safety events through RL Solutions. Great Catch Awards are utilized to engage stakeholders. PDSA cycles focused on improving the primary outcome, submission of safety events into the event reporting system, as well as increasing resident participation in safety huddles.
