The annual ‘Tis the Season for Quality’ campaign from Oct. 13 to Dec. 18 focused on harm prevention and ensuring all staff understand the various bundles of care that prevent harm. Focus areas include correct testing for C. difficile and preventing surgical site infections, central line bloodstream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPI), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), and falls prevention.
“We run the campaign annually during the fourth quarter to make sure that, with increased fall and winter patient volumes and busy holiday schedules, everyone maintains the highest standards of care,” said Harpreet Kooner, RN, MBA, BSN, CPHQ, HACP-CMS, Director of Quality & Safety Improvement. “In our journey to be a highly reliable organization, we know sensitivity to operations means it’s important for us to partner with Patient Care Services and engage with front-line staff in implementing real-world actions and solutions to support these prevention bundles. We keep the campaign festive with seasonal decorations, themed T-shirts, snacks, and friendly competition.”
The campaign featured a decorated roving cart each month to coincide with seasonal events, loaded with snacks and a large poster containing educational information. The cart is managed by frontline PCS staff and a Quality Nurse Consultant who round on individual nursing units and talk with nurses about the different harm event bundles during their shifts. Staff who answer harm prevention related questions correctly are entered for a chance to win a T-shirt that day. Staff can also take a quiz by scanning a QR code tailored to their specific care areas. Quiz questions are designed to assess staff understanding of South Sacramento’s harm prevention strategies and correct any misunderstanding regarding policy or process.
“SQRS staff tracks the number of staff participating and reviews fourth-quarter harm events to determine effectiveness of the drive and opportunities to improve the experience,” said Greg Woolf, MS, RN, CPHQ, Lead Quality Nurse Consultant. He added that the partnership with PCS has led to increased awareness of the challenges and opportunities with these prevention bundles for both the staff and the Quality Nurse Consultants.