This interview was first published February 17, 2022, in Patient Safety Beat, where it includes a brief video. Patient Safety Beat is the digital newsletter of the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety. Tejal Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H., has been a leader in patient and workforce safety for more than 20 years. With experience as an internist, researcher, teacher and hospital executive, Dr. […]
Health care organizations have struggled to craft effective visitation or “family presence” policies since the first days of the pandemic, when most barred nearly all visitors. That was understandable at the time. Now, two years later, family presence is often still restricted, especially when hospitals are stretched beyond capacity. In a recent essay, Tejal Gandhi, […]
When I was a chief quality and safety officer of a large health system, one of the things that frustrated me was a hesitancy by some in our organization to share bad news, even within our own ranks. If something went wrong in hospital A, it seemed only natural to me to tell our sister […]
Individuals and organizations will observe Patient Safety Awareness Week this year on March 11-17. The campaign, the 15th annual PSAW, has two closely aligned themes: safety culture and patient engagement. A culture of safety encourages and relies on open communication and engagement of patients and family members. Engaged patients help organizations stay true to the spirit […]
Last week, the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) celebrated Patient Safety Awareness Week by focusing on the issue of patient and family engagement. It was encouraging to hear that more organizations are seeking to make progress in this effort and health professionals are eager to learn about the benefits of patient involvement at all levels […]
When we talk about patient and family engagement, it’s tough not to consider the barriers. Problems with health literacy, for example, may hinder patients’ understanding of diagnoses, medication regimens, and care plans. Fear of being considered “difficult” may prevent patients from speaking up. Providers may not have to tools, training, or time to actively engage […]