No matter how you look at it, proper maintenance of the environment is critical
This week brings us something of a mixed bag, but I think the two articles speak to the heart of how our management of the healthcare physical environment informs everything that goes on around and in it. I have consistently maintained (small pun intended) that pretty much everything in healthcare stems from the physical environment; if you can’t manage the risks of fire, hazardous materials, infections, equipment, etc., you really can’t provide care for patients. In that regard, I suppose the only surprise from a compliance standpoint is how long it took for the environment to become a critical component of any regulatory survey activity. It is, after all, everywhere you look.
Over the years, I have always searched out viewpoints, perspectives, or experiences that may differ from mine—I suppose it’s a function of walking a distance in someone else’s shoes. I was excited to see an article penned by Dr. Tejal Gandhi, the chief safety and transformation officer at Press Ganey. In the article, Gandhi discusses her experiences over her career, and, the importance of safety as a foundational aspect of healthcare—both patient safety and the safety of the physical environment. I think you’ll find Gandhi’s insights to be compelling and a good reinforcement of the work you do every day. Sometimes it can feel like you’re the lone voice crying out in the wilderness and it’s nice to know that others are in the fight with us.
For our other item for the week, I’m casting myself way (way!) back to my formative days in healthcare when a pristinely stripped and refinished floor was the joy of my professional existence (I still make a big frowny face when I encounter sub-standard floor refinishing—it hurts my heart!). And, since a fair amount of the country will be embarking on the travails of winter weather, this article from the Pecora Corporation, The Importance of Regular Maintenance on a Traffic Coating System, acted like a time machine for me and, hopefully, some useful considerations for you. I can’t vouch for the Pecora Corporations traffic coatings as I’ve never used them, but the outlines for a well-constructed surface maintenance process made me smile in appreciation. Properly maintained horizontal surfaces will pay dividends from a safety perspective; make the identification of poorly maintained walking surfaces part of your surveillance activities!
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Chartis Group. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is an advisory board member for Accreditation and Quality Compliance Center. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.