Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Ga., has announced it is implementing a new, automotive industry-inspired patient safety initiative, according to an Albany Herald report.
The hospital's Stop the Line for Patient Safety Initiative empowers staff members to speak up and address patient safety concerns to other employees, regardless of their position. If staff members perceive a significant or imminent threat to safety, they can stop and address the problem and then submit an incident report, allowing the hospital to track concerns over time.
The concept it not unlike an automotive assembly line, in which any worker can stop the line at any time to address a potential threat. Once a threat is indentified, the line cannot start up again until the problem is solved.
The initiative was created by the hospital's Patient Safety Committee and was endorsed by the Quality Council and the Medical Executive Committee at Phoebe, according to the Albany Herald. It is meant to make everyone a stakeholder in patient safety to eliminate patient harm and create the safest possible healthcare environment.
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